THE SIGIL (A HAUNTING ON GABRIEL STREET) (2012)

Studio:       Inception Media Group
Director:    Brandon Cano-Errecart
Writer:       Nathan Dean Snyder
Producer:  Jorge A. Cano Jr.
Stars:     Nathan Dean Snyder, Devan Liljedahl, Miki Matteson, Matthew Black, Brandon Cano-Errecart

Review Score: 

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Summary:

An investigation into mysterious deaths at a condemned Los Angeles apartment building uncovers a satanic conspiracy. 

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Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

Rockford, Illinois – Family and friends attend the funeral of 20-year-old Logan Lewis. Logan reportedly died along with 42 other people in a Los Angeles building from radiation poisoning due to an undetected uranium deposit underneath the structure. Officials never released the body, supposedly because of contamination, but Logan’s sister Devan and her boyfriend Nate are suspicious of the story.

With their friend Brandon acting as a cameraman, Devan and Nate drive to Los Angeles to investigate the building. Outside the location, the trio is confronted by Miki, a girl who lives next door. After an argument, Miki invites the group upstairs to meet her roommate Matt, who can provide more information about the condemned building. Miki claims that the residents of the building went crazy and killed each other. The police covered up the truth with a story about radiation poisoning. With a sickly appearance, Matt recounts noises he heard from the building. Miki claims that Matt is ill and on medication. She became Matt’s roommate after the incident at the building. Miki offers to let the three friends stay in their apartment.

During the night, Brandon records Matt muttering strangely in his sleep. Miki subdues Matt with an injection when he goes into convulsions. During the day, Nate and Brandon interview local residents about the building. Clumps of hair fall out of Miki’s head as she showers.

At night, Devan, Nate, Brandon, and Matt go into the abandoned building. A rhythmic noise echoes throughout the walls. Matt is left to rest while the others investigate. Devan finds her brother’s journal. Matt disappears and is then found unconscious. Everyone returns to Matt and Miki’s apartment.

Devan tries calling an ambulance, but Miki asks for the phone, claiming that they cannot afford emergency services. Out on the street, Devan and Nate discuss the situation as well as their relationship. Brandon notices strange scars on Miki’s body.

Devan and Nate read Logan’s journal. Logan writes of a fight with someone name Luke LaVey over Logan’s girlfriend. Luke pressured Logan into drugging his girlfriend for a satanic ritual. Luke believes he is Baphomet reincarnated. The final journal entry reveals that Logan plans to remove his sigil during the ceremony. Brandon learns that the Sigil of Baphomet is the insignia of the Church of Satan.

Brandon sees Matt entering the derelict building. Devan, Nate, and Brandon follow him. They discover a photo revealing that Matt is really Luke and they conclude that Miki is part of the conspiracy. The trio finds Logan’s amulet in a church in the basement. Matt becomes possessed and attacks them before Miki arrives. Miki demands the pendant. Matt tries to attack Nate, but the amulet stops him. Nate is possessed by Logan and he tells Devan the truth about the attempt to summon Baphomet. Matt stabs Brandon. Baphomet possesses Miki and takes Devan hostage. Nate threatens to destroy the sigil. The building ends up collapsing on everyone.

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NOTE: "The Sigil" was retitled "A Haunting on Gabriel Street" for U.S. home video distribution.

Review:

“The Sigil” has half of an idea for a story and half of an idea about how to film it.  Thinking that the two together might add up to one complete movie, “The Sigil” is a collection of half-cocked misfires both in the script and on the screen.  Everyone involved in the film appears to have been in his/her early 20’s, so I will take inexperience into account and put this as gently as possible for all involved.  The movie is a highlight reel for what happens when a cast and crew is not ready for primetime, and turns on the camera without having thought everything through.

When 20-year-old Logan Lewis dies tragically along with 42 others in a Los Angeles building, authorities claim that everyone had been exposed to dangerous levels of undetected uranium radiation.  The coroner refuses to release the body while family and friends grow suspicious about the story.  Putting matters into their own hands, Logan’s sister Devan, her boyfriend Nate, and cameraman Brandon take a road trip to the City of Angels for a little amateur sleuthing.  After befriending a pair of mysterious roommates in the neighboring apartment building, the trio eventually discovers that the building in question was actually home to sinister satanic activities.

Many “found footage” films have done far more with far less of a premise than that.  As a diving board, the initial idea for “The Sigil” offers a good enough jumping off point for an urban demonic thriller.  Except that this movie has no idea about which way to run once the starting gun has fired.

Unable to commit to one format or the other, “The Sigil” mashes a traditional film with smatterings of “found footage.”  We can be sure it is “found footage” because the tapes are shown with a battery indicator in the upper left corner and the flashing letters “REC” in the upper right.  Why anyone would purchase a camera that imprints these graphics on the actual recording is a bigger mystery than what really happened in the derelict building.

Mixing the two formats provides zero value, and only adds to the film’s overall sloppiness.  The sense is that the filmmakers did not know how to translate certain scenes into “found footage,” and then assumed that a shaky first person camera would artificially create scares, as the movie itself has none.

Excluding the credits, “The Sigil” tops out at just five minutes over an hour, which is surprising because it feels much longer.  Documenting the plentiful inconsistencies and silly plot points would take longer than actually watching the movie.  Suffice it to say, some of the lowlights include a forcibly late introduction of purpose to character relationships and a climax that is not an ending so much as a stoppage.  When the cast discovers one character’s real name by seeing it professionally printed on a framed photograph (who has a photo like this in reality?), it is painfully obvious that the story grabs any available option for moving forward without a sincere attempt at working elements thoughtfully into the film.

The dialogue is as basic as possible, yet the actors are unable to deliver simple lines without sounding like Ben Stein reading a phonebook.  One actress may as well be yawning when she discovers that her beloved brother is actually a murderous demon worshipper.  To be out of their depth in such straightforward roles showcases the amateur effort on both sides of the camera.

Even with a thankfully brief runtime, “The Sigil” is still unsure of what to throw up on the screen.  A montage of random scenery from downtown L.A. and Hollywood occupies several of the opening minutes.  Sound bites from random passersby fill a middle section.  At no time does the movie feel like a cohesive narrative with sensibly plotted drama or action.

Each underdeveloped idea in the film culminates in a production with the amateur look of an experimental student film, and none of the fearless creativity.  “The Sigil” is a hastily stitched together failure sewn by a crew that is greener than Kermit the Frog.  The distributor may have been fooled into releasing this as a professional product, but pulling the wool over a discerning audience’s eyes is a completely different trick.

Review Score:  15

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