Conjurer (film)
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''Conjurer'' is a 2008 supernatural
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
directed by Clint Hutchison and written by Hutchison and David Yarbrough. The film had its world premiere on 11 September 2008 at the SoCal Independent Film Festival and was released to DVD on 25 November of the same year. It stars
Andrew Bowen Andrew Bowen is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Mad TV'' and voices Johnny Cage in ''Mortal Kombat''. Life Bowen was born in Boston and raised in Vermont. After watching the film '' Grease'' at the age of six, he tol ...
as a photographer caught up in a haunting.


Plot

For the past year, photographer Shawn Burnett (
Andrew Bowen Andrew Bowen is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Mad TV'' and voices Johnny Cage in ''Mortal Kombat''. Life Bowen was born in Boston and raised in Vermont. After watching the film '' Grease'' at the age of six, he tol ...
) and his wife Helen (
Maxine Bahns Maxine Lee Bahns (born February 28, 1971) is an American actress, triathlete, and model. She is best known for roles in the films ''The Brothers McMullen'' and '' She's the One'', appearing in both as the love interest of her then-boyfriend, E ...
) have been grieving the loss of their first child, which died in Helen's womb before it could be carried to term. They're hoping that a move to the country will help them both heal and move on with their lives. Shawn is somewhat irritated that the move involves him taking charity from Helen's brother Frank Higgins ( John Schneider), but he's willing to do whatever he can if it will give Helen solace. Frank promises that he will build the two of them a brand new house, but until the construction is done they must stay in an older house with a decrepit cabin in the backyard. Shortly after they move in, Helen becomes pregnant again. Shawn is fascinated when he discovers via some neighbors that the cabin is reported to be haunted by the ghost of a
witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...
that curses anyone trying to get pregnant, seeking revenge against a husband who murdered her own child years ago. While investigating the legend, Shawn injures himself on a tooth left in the cabin and develops a severe infection. As the infection worsens Shawn begins to experience strange visions and events, unsure if they are real or
delusion A delusion is a fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some other m ...
s triggered by the infection and a possible latent
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
, as his own father murdered his wife and then killed himself. This worries Shawn as either way this poses a potential threat to Helen, either by the witch's hand or by Shawn's possible mental illness, and he decides that he will get Helen out of that place. This puts him at odds with Frank, who believes the land to be completely safe. As things grow more strange and Shawn becomes more unstable, things culminate in a chase scene that ends with Shawn firing a gun at his wife. Authorities are called to the scene and Shawn tries to explain the story of the witch, only to be told that there is no witch and that the neighbors (who had told him the story) never existed. He's then taken to a mental institution, leaving Helen to live in the house by herself. The film ends with Helen listening to a phone message from Shawn and then turning to the camera with a malevolent look, leaving it up to the viewer to decide if the events in the film are the result of Shawn's
psychosis In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or inco ...
or if there actually is a witch and that she has possessed Helen at some point during the movie.


Cast


Release

''Conjurer'' was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
by
Monarch Home Video Ingram Entertainment Inc. was an American distributor of home entertainment products, like DVDs, audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described ...
November 25, 2008.


Reception

Critical reception for ''Conjurer'' has been positive. ''
Dread Central Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...
'' gave the film three out of five blades and praised the movie's acting and directing. ''
LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...
'' also praised the movie, which they stated had "a thick mood of gothic dread".


Awards

*''Best Horror Film'' at the
Action on Film International Film Festival The Action On Film International Film Festival, also known as the Action On Film Festival, was founded in 2004. It was held in California until 2017 when it moved to the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As a hub for many returning filmmake ...
(2008, won) *''Best Feature Film'' at the Dixie Film Festival (2008, won) *''Honorable Mention'' at the Louisville Fright Night Film Fest (2008, won) *''Directorial Discovery Award'' at the
Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival The Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Providence, Rhode Island, which features a wide variety of horror, sci-fi, and thriller films, as well as documentaries, from the United States and around the w ...
(2008, won)


See also

*
List of ghost films Ghost movies and shows can fall into a wide range of genres, including romance, comedy, horror, juvenile interest, and drama. History With the advent of motion pictures and television, screen depictions of ghosts became common and spanned a vari ...


References


External links

* * * {{Official website, http://www.conjurer-movie.com/ 2008 films 2008 horror films American supernatural horror films Films about witchcraft 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language horror films