One of Us (2017)

Simply Perfect

Let's be realistic.

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Now when i say "cult movie", i mean a literal cult movie, that is, a movie about cults. i found the depiction of the cult leader and his subjects to be very realistic and educational. i've had some experience deprogramming some of these type of people and let me tell you this movie gets the facts right. The leader does not come across as some raving lunatic, but rather as a friendly father figure or surrogate. Very well made movie with some great performances, particularly from the cult leader and the young women playing the cult members that have been indoctrinated.

When a friend goes missing, investigative reporter Mary (Christa B. Allen) springs into action and travels to Idyllwild, California and joins a cult she suspects her friend was a part of. The cult is run by Brent (Derek Smith) and has a bunch of young girls working there. Mary has to surrender her cell phone and ....this is just too painful to go on because you know the formula.This is a magical film where you know what happens before it does, except for that one thing. The actors were saving their ability for the next film and opted to phone it in on this one. This could have been a Lifetime, made for TV film, but it wasn't. It just looked that bad.Guide: No swearing. Implied sex. No nudity, Some bra/panties from behind.

Worried, an investigative journalist pokes around into the disappearance of her best friend, and gets drawn into a small town religious cult. We enter their world through her eyes, at a seemingly benign coffee shop staffed with helpful, if peculiar, young women. After following the women back to their compound and getting caught trespassing she's greeted warmly by their charismatic leader and only male in the group. It quickly becomes apparent that things are less idyllic than they appear.The world is revealed in an authentic way at a pace that keeps the audience in its seat; story is weaved in a way that is both effective and creepy.Give it a watch.

This was a nice surprise for a late night TV fright flick. While One of Us is clearly a psychological horror movie at heart, it's not dedicated to making the cheesiest, campiest, kill-fest imaginable. In fact, it seems to be trying to do something different. Speaking of camp, the director really seemed to take pride in capturing the atmosphere of the idyllic mountain setting. I'm not sure of the techniques, but the outdoor naturally lit shots were gorgeous. They had me kind of convinced, or at least intrigued, by the promise of a retreat away from the stresses of modern society…and the psychology that might drive someone to let a charismatic creeper take the wheel. Of course creepy cults can't last, and these women in the woods have to fight to stay alive, and while this film might not please the slasher film purists, it offers a bit of a stylish spin on the late night psycho creep show.