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[Review] ‘Backtrack’ is a Competent Yet Familiar Ghost Story

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There are few things in life better than a cold rainy evening accompanied by a gothic ghost story. The problem with these stories, however, is that we’ve experienced a great deal of them, and it is now extremely hard to come across a truly original and chilling tale involving ghosts, be it on the page or the big screen. In Backtrack, director Michael Petroni seems to be aware of this, and attempts to revitalize the popular formula with different execution and greater focus on characters.

The story follows Adrien Brody as Peter Bower, a troubled psychologist that begins to question his own sanity when he realizes that some of his patients are not what they seem to be. Tormented by guilt and mysterious apparitions, Bower attempts to find answers in his tragic past in order to meet some kind of closure, despite being discouraged by his family and colleagues.

Character seems to be Backtrack’s greatest strength, as Brody adds a depth to his role that only a veteran actor could provide, not to mention the script’s believable dialogue and reactions. The supporting cast is also phenomenal, with the lovely Robin McLeavy (Lola from The Loved Ones) playing a well-intentioned police officer, and an underused Sam Neil as Duncan Stewart.

While it is quite refreshing to see a horror film treated seriously, with a respected cast and crew behind it, there is a certain lack of genre finesse present in the movie. Jump scares seem cheap and out of place in a film that drenches itself in gothic atmosphere, and the CGI present in certain scenes actually detracts from the creepy mood. That doesn’t make Backtrack a horrible movie, however. The story has its fair share of twists and turns that result in a rewarding yet predictable experience that mostly makes up for the technical discrepancies.

Although Petroni wrote and directed the film, it’s quite apparent that he’s much better with the former than with the latter. Since this is only the second feature that he’s directed, it’s easy to forgive most of the technical flaws, but the predictable narrative is inexcusable for someone with this much experience in script writing. Like Guillermo Del Toro in Crimson Peak, Michael is at his worst when adhering to familiar and traditional ghost story elements instead of treading new ground, though neither Crimson Peak nor Backtrack are inherently bad movies.

Again, Brody and the rest of the cast are constantly entertaining, and make the film worth watching despite a few shortcomings. There were even some genuinely spooky scenes, though the ghosts at times looked like generic Ju-On rip-offs. Obviously, Backtrack will not be as impactful as the Sixth Sense or other popular ghost movies, but it does contain enough originality to warrant a view on your next rainy night, be it in theaters or on late-night TV.

Born Brazilian, raised Canadian, Luiz is a writer and Film student that spends most of his time watching movies and subsequently complaining about them.

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‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Adds “Chucky” Actor Teo Briones and More to Lead Cast

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Chucky Actor Teo Briones
Pictured: Teo Briones in "Chucky" Season Two

The Final Destination franchise is returning to life with Final Destination: Bloodlines. With filming now underway, THR reports that three actors have joined the lead cast, including “Chucky” actor Teo Briones.

Brec Bassinger (“Stargirl”) and Kaitlyn Santa Juana (The Friendship Game) join Teo Briones, who played Junior Wheeler in season two of “Chucky,” as the leads in the sixth installment of the horror franchise.

Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein (Freaks) are directing the fresh installment that also includes Richard Harmon (“The 100”, Grave Encounters 2), Anna Lore, Owen Patrick Joyner, Max Lloyd-Jones (The Book Of Boba Fett), Rya Kihlstedt (Obi Wan Kenobi), and Tinpo Lee (The Manor) among the cast.

Production is now underway in Vancouver.

What can we expect from the upcoming Final Destination 6? Speaking with Collider, franchise creator Jeffrey Reddick offered up an intriguing (and mysterious) tease last year.

“This film dives into the film in such a unique way that it attacks it from a different angle so you don’t feel like, ‘Oh, there’s an amazing setup and then there’s gonna be one wrinkle that can potentially save you all that you have to kind of make a moral choice about or do to solve it.’ There’s an expansion of the universe that – I’m being so careful,” Reddick teased.

Reddick continued, “It kind of unearths a whole deep layer to the story that kind of, yes, makes it really, really interesting.”

Final Destination: Bloodlines is written by Lori Evans Taylor (“Wicked Wicked Games”) and Guy Busick (Scream), with Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home) producing.

Producers on the new movie for New Line Cinema also include Dianne McGunigle (Cop Car) as well as Final Destination producers Craig Perry and Sheila Hanahan Taylor.

This will be the sixth installment in the hit franchise, and the first in over ten years. Each film centers on “Death” hunting down young friends who survive a mass casualty event.

The latest entry is expected in 2025, coinciding with the original film’s 25th anniversary.

 

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