Good morning, House of Madness barterers:
When it comes to a prized possession, just how much would you be willing to give up in exchange for the return of your precious property if it were to be taken from you? I'm talking seriously precious property here, not that time your son accidentally sold your entire Ricky Skaggs 8-track collection to his friend for fifty cents and and a Bobby Bonilla rookie card, I mean, how stupid can a kid be not to realize the value of said collection based on monetary value alone, let alone the sentimental val.........I got away from myself there, I apologize. Anyways, if the stakes were at an all-time high as they are for Cora (Anna Camp), would you be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?
Cora and her deadbeat addict boyfriend Wyatt (Travis Hammer) live a reckless lifestyle that revolves around one thing. If you think the one thing is Cora's son Noah (Eduardo Campirano), then please leave the stage and collect your consolation prize. Every day revolves around Cora and Wyatt and their next big score, injecting themselves with enough drugs to entice Keith Richards into suggesting an intervention. One day, as the two deadbeats are passed out on the couch dead to the world, little Noah decides to go on a bit of an adventure outside on his own, and is never seen again. This is the wake-up call Cora needs, and immediately distances herself from Wyatt while she tries to cope with the loss of her son with the help of a support group. One day as group is finishing up, Cora finally melts down and opens up about her tragic ordeal, and group leader Abel (John Ales) stays after everyone else has gone and offers up a permanent solution to Cora's problem, much to her shock and dismay.
Seems Abel has been through grief very similar to Cora's, and did indeed bring back his own daughter from the dead to her mother, hence relieving his suffering even though he hasn't seen her himself. The ritual consists of a salted circle ensconced with demonic symbols, and a chain to ensure whoever is inside the circle remains intact with no means of escape. As the rituals they partake in regularly intensify, we're left wondering if what Abel is offering is actually for Cora's benefit, or if he has ulterior motives of his own and is simply using Cora as a vessel. One thing is for sure, the demon they're messing with isn't fucking around.
"From Black" is about as run-of-the-mill as you can get when it comes to a story about bartering with demons, and really doesn't do anything to separate itself from a genre that has been slapped to death harder than a Dana White project, but it's never boring even though it keeps plowing ahead with an ending they clearly aren't trying to disguise. Sometimes less is more when it comes to executing a film's climax, but straight up pointing directly at it for ninety minutes and then delivering exactly what everyone was expecting is kind of lame, and leaves the film feeling flat and unnecessary. Oh well, at least I got my Ricky Skaggs tapes back!
Madness Meter: 5/10
NB
