Film Review: Apocalyptic Prophecy

Journalist Jodie Black and her cameraman Kevin Horner head deep into unclaimed forest land in a bid to uncover the truth surrounding a bizarre doomsday cult, the 'Bytherainians'. What they discover is shocking beyond their wildest imaginings. Part BLAIR WITCH part WICKER MAN, APOCALYPTIC is one of the creepiest and unforgettable horror experiences in years.

Written by Monster Pictures

The introduction was reminiscent of the Spanish film, Rec, as the female reporter says her line in front of the camera. The filmmakers didn't regurgitate by cutting off after the reporter was about to repeat her line in a warmer manner. Otherwise, it would have been just like in Rec.

This film touches on the typical cult life, only with people looking very much presentable as compared to how you see cults in the Philippines.

You expect what you expect from cults. So if I enumerate them here, I consider myself not spoiling. Of course, the film added things that made everyone in the cinema react in derision vocally that I can feel the repulsion in the air even during the times that no one is speaking. And that's what you will have to look out for.

So what are the checklist that you should see in a cult that's covered by this film?

• Delusional male proclaiming himself as God
• Of course, he's not always God. He's a man still but there will be times where he would transform as a God.
• He gets to have sex with every female whenever he chose to.
• No one complains as “who does not obey God?” *coughs* Fools. *coughs*
• Obviously, everyone's brainwashed. Now I ask, “Who gets brainwashed?”

I saw a delusional female claiming to be possessed by Sto. Nino before my very eyes when I was six. My mom brought me there for some miracle, not necessarily for me. And yes, I've long known how delusional my mother is for believing in delusional things. By the way, I believe in spiritual things, just not organized beliefs subject to social pressures. Someone will point something like this in the film.

Let's digress a bit

FYI, the term Sto. Nino was coined by the first Spanish navigators to arrive in the Philippines to refer to God for the Cebuanos. For about 40 days since reaching the shores, the Cebuanos were a hard nut to crack for the Spaniards when they can't easily be swayed with Christianity. Finally, one priest discovered the existence of a fertility god, a baby god, of the beliefs of the natives (as they believed in a lot of gods). He took advantage of that knowledge and used the idea of the baby god for Jesus Christ. Santo was for the spanish term, saint, while nino being a little boy. With this, anyone claiming to be possessed by the Sto. Nino is surely nuts. And I don't have to be educated much later in life to tell apart a delusional person from a sane one.

Surely, this film will evoke lots of things even for the casual viewers. And certainly, it will evoke anger from halfway until you leave the cinema. There are those who were stunned when the credits roll and just can't help but say, “That was bad”. I'm sure the context meant that whatever was happening in the film was bad, and it's not that the film itself was bad. Okay, maybe that was just me.

I'm used to the methods used in this type of film (found footage or pseudo-documentary) but instead of rolling my eyes, I take a nod for approval. For those of us who've heard lots about cults, instead of feeling the repetitive aspect, you just get to be swayed by the storytelling. The film delivers so well in telling a story about a cult. If other people are not aware of what's happening in a cult, then this movie could be an eye-opener for them. The story is so similar to what you can see in actual documentaries with the exeption that you really get to see brutalities of death when you just hear about them in real life (thus opting for journalists to spy on them, hoping to see real action). Although the followers don't look as delusional in real life. They still have this normal look about them and the way they talk still sound sane as compared to watching real documentaries. Their weird behavior is not as off-putting as the real thing... until you reach the end.

There are only a few small things I'd like to complain about. One girl obviously had colored her hair in the past and it shows in the lower part of her hair. As the cult was cut off from civilization, no one should have access to commercial products. Besides, as they all belong in a cult, it is by default that no one has a propensity for vanity. Anyway, the actress should have colored her hair to just one color before production.

The same thing can be said about the eyebrows. Most of the adolescent females have perfectly arched brows which are obviously unnatural (plucked/waxed/threaded).

Those two are the only things that made the film unconvincing. Overall the preparation was fine, just not on those aspects.

With only two perceivable flaws, I love this film. With its raw appeal, emotionally-arousing premise, the Apocalyptic Prophecy will grip you with a great storytelling. I hope to find more of its kind.

4.5/10