Deadly Intent (2016)
After the tragic death of her husband, a soldier posted to Afghanistan, Bryony tries to build a new life for herself and her young son, James. Struggling with her own grief she fails to notice that James has become secretive and withdrawn, spending hours alone playing out death scenes with his toys. When things start to go missing and furniture is smashed Bryony blames James but when she confronts him she finds herself facing a reality more terrifying than any nightmare. As her world crashes around her Bryony realises that unless she can find a way to reconnect with her son she and James will be separated for ever.
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Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
The makers of the film use all the tricks of horror/psychological thrillers: messed up kid, clueless woman, doors slamming, killed pet, shadows, quick glimpse of ghost, curtains blowing, eerie music, falling items, None are used effectively. Along with an inept script, all this ads up to a pretty boring movie. Just one question though: what does the aunt do that she can afford such a large house with such fine furnishings? Is she a lottery winner or what?
DEADLY INTENT is another non-event of a ghost story, made on an indie budget and with absolutely nothing to recommend it. It's a small-scale domestic drama made in Britain and exploring the subject of grief, as a soldier's death abroad leads a mother and her child into a downward spiral. When mysterious events start to surround the boy, the mother begins to suspect that the husband's ghost is the root cause. Very little happens here and the novice cast members simply aren't up to the job of convincingly delivering their dialogue. The end result? Nothing more than a boring mess of a movie.
When her husband dies Bryony tries to rebuild her life with her young son James. The young actor who plays James provides a terrific performance. James in typical movie fashion starts acting weird and withdrawn.Although parallels could be made to something like "Babadook" and even "Kill List" this UK chiller really does stand out on its own.Some really good performances help enhance the quality of the script. Although there are some jump scares here and there they do not overdo it.Kudos to the crew as for a low budget independent film they do a very good job
Deadly Intent is a nice suspense story. Things go bump in the night as you hope they will (or hope they won't depending) and the family angle keeps you engaged throughout the film. I enjoyed the visual style of the film and the hard work the filmmakers put into it. The music helped set the tone early on and I always love when we're fed story hints as it goes along.Independent films always have some kind of limitation or another, but the director did a nice job crafting a rounded film. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next. It's a good film to check out this Halloween season so grab some popcorn and curl up on the couch. Lights being off is optional. ;)