THE COVENANT (2017)

Studio:       Uncork’d Entertainment
Director:    Robert Conway
Writer:       Robert Conway, Owen Conway, Christopher R. Smith
Producer:  Robert Conway, Justin Anderson
Stars:     Monica Engesser, Owen Conway, Clint James, Sanford Gibbons, Maria Olsen, Shawn Saavedra, Richard Lippert

Review Score:

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Summary:

A brother and sister struggle to heal from family tragedy only to uncover an even greater horror inside their childhood home.

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Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

Following the funeral for their daughter Elizabeth, Adam Doyle commits suicide in front of his wife Sarah after saying, “it’s all your fault.” A year later, Sarah’s brother Richard helps Sarah move back into their mother’s old house in Globe, Arizona.

A mysterious man in black confronts Richard and tells him he should be suspicious of the story that Elizabeth died by accidentally drowning in a bathtub. Richard has more encounters with the man, including one where the man claims Sarah “belongs to us” and another that ends with Richard punching the man in a bar bathroom while the man taunts him.

Neighbor Jan Thompson visits Sarah with her friend Amy. Sarah hands Amy a cup of tea and Amy’s crucifix pendant suddenly burns a cross-shaped scar into her chest.

Sarah is haunted by strange experiences inside the home and begins having visions of her dead daughter.

After finding Sarah cutting her arm open, Richard consults Father James Burk for help. Father Burk comes to the house, but leaves abruptly after touching Sarah and experiencing a horrifying vision. The priest tells Richard that his sister is possessed and advises him to seek help from demonology expert Father Francis Campbell.

Father Burk returns to his rectory and leaves a message for Father Campbell. Shortly after an encounter with the man in black, Father Burk is compelled to cut out his own tongue.

Richard goes to a bar and is seduced by a young woman named Lilith. Lilith goes to Richard’s house and the two of them have sex. However, Lilith turns into Sarah, whose body is now scarred with demonic symbols, during the act. Sarah taunts Richard that she is now pregnant with their child.

Horrified, Richard flees from the house. He goes to see Father Burk in the hospital, who writes a message imploring Richard to consult Father Campbell immediately.

Richard meets with Father Campbell and his assistant Gerry Smith. After Richard’s explanation, Father Campbell concludes that Sarah is possessed by the demon Belial and agrees to help.

Religious neighbor Molly Hanning comes to the house to confront Sarah. Possessed, Sarah compels Molly to tear out her own eyes.

Richard, Father Campbell, and Gerry arrive at the house and find Molly crucified in the basement. When Father Campbell sees that Sarah is inexplicably in an advanced state of pregnancy, Richard explains his encounter with Lilith and Sarah’s illusion.

Father Campbell begins performing an exorcism on Sarah. Gerry advises that Belial is far beyond them and they need to kill Sarah. Father Campbell counters that they would also be killing her unborn child.

Sarah begins giving birth. Richard tries to kill her, but is unsuccessful. The house suddenly begins crumbling down around Sarah and Richard. Father Campbell and Gerry manage to escape.

Detectives interrogate Father Campbell and Gerry about Molly Hanning’s murder. Both men are shocked to discover that Sarah, Richard, and the baby were never found. Father Campbell warns that the child is a monstrosity whose existence endangers everyone. Meanwhile, Sarah and Richard go on the run with their child under the guidance of the man in black.

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Review:

Sarah Doyle is in no condition to care for herself mentally or emotionally following the death of her daughter Elizabeth and subsequent suicide of her husband Adam.  So her brother Richard steps up to help Sarah settle into their disused childhood home, hoping a touch of family and familiarity might do the grieving woman some good.

Tragedy and old houses are a dangerous cocktail on the road to recovery in a horror movie.  Sarah’s personal journey is no exception, as she is almost immediately feeling her flesh burn, waking from nightmares, and experiencing haunting visions that have her convinced Elizabeth is returning from the dead.

Meanwhile, a mysterious man in black has cryptic warnings for Richard that the story about how Elizabeth died may not be the truth.  After a fanatically religious neighbor takes time out from peeping through blinds to warn that he should leave the house, Richard isn’t sure if he is a magnet for crackpots or if something truly sinister is stirring.

A priest’s intervention ultimately confirms fears thought impossible.  The new trouble emerging for Richard and Sarah doesn’t only concern past ghosts and unhealed trauma.  Their family appears afflicted by demonic possession.  And the only way the siblings can be saved is with an old fashioned exorcism.

I knew enough to not have high hopes for “The Covenant” given the much to be desired, to put it mildly, quality of director Robert Conway’s “Krampus: The Reckoning” (review here) and “Krampus Unleashed” (review here).  But branding an automatic scarlet letter A for ‘avoid’ on the basis of two bizarrely bad DTV Xmas fright flicks seemed potentially premature.  I thought it fair to see what Conway and company might be capable of when not having to adhere to constraints of cheap holiday horror.

While the needle doesn’t move much with “The Covenant,” it moves in the right direction.  Lo-fi sights and sounds of oversaturated colors and inconsistent audio are in full swing, yet acting occasionally hits a birdie considering what par typically is at this low-budget level.  Now if the production team can structure a script with a peppier pace that doesn’t chew up and spit out half-baked mythology, the next effort might break over the midpoint on the rating scale.

Monica Engesser and Owen Conway, the latter of whom reminds of a cross between Ted Raimi and John D. LeMay, are return performers from “Krampus: The Reckoning.”  Engesser is better at leading a movie than previously, though there is still a great deal of green for both actors to cover going forward.

Earning more mentions are supporting performances.  Clint James might make a better hippie diet guru than demonology expert priest, yet he still comes across as convincing enough, up until he has to widen eyes and grit teeth during an obligatory “I cast you out!” moment.

Laura Durant stands out by being nearly unnoticeable as a neighbor in two scenes.  Hers is a largely inconsequential character, yet it plays as authentic and that gives it value.  Family or friends often fill lesser roles in microbudget movies and they always read as exactly what they are: amateur actors.  Casting people who have professional credits on the backside of their headshots makes a world of difference, never mind how small the part, and “The Covenant” is better off for it.

Audibly hard edits in ambient audio serve as reminders that technical execution could stand for a belt tightening.  The chin’s urge to touch the chest reminds that drawn out drama is not the direction to take when dealing with a typical itinerary for a small demonic possession tale.

“The Covenant’s” spotty aesthetics and unexciting story hold it back from a recommendation no matter what.  I’m otherwise inclined to award a higher score on the Krampus improvement curve alone.  However, “The Covenant” ranks as low as it does in large part because of an incest element that doesn’t sit right when all is said and done.

There’s a dicey line between entertaining use and exploitive shock when it comes to depicting incest.  It fits in “Flowers in the Attic” because of that series’ soap opera salaciousness, and something such as “Amityville II: The Awakening” doesn’t spend any longer than necessary on its inclusion.

SMALL SPOILER

“The Covenant’s” incest angle isn’t terribly sleazy.  It makes sense for what this particular plot wants to do with its final payoff.  But the use lingers more than it has to, becoming an uncomfortable distraction as a result.  Specifically, had the film not included the intimacy of the final scene, the idea would be easier to digest instead of feeling like such a gagging finger down the throat.

END SPOILER

A predominantly two-person exorcism/haunting story done on a dime doesn’t stand much chance of being a barnburner to begin with.  “The Covenant” appears to be trying its best anyway, albeit futilely, and for that I give Conway and his crew credit.

Review Score:  35

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