"Last Kind Words" is a very unlikely and different movie about a haunting. And it was a nice change of scenery to have a story dealing with a haunting in this manner, instead of it being all CGI effects and attempts to scare the audience.
The story in "Last Kind Words" is about a family that moves out to work on Mr. Waylon's (played by Brad Dourif) estate. While roaming the lands, Eli (played by Spencer Daniels),come to meet the young and reclusive girl Amanda (played by Alexia Fast). As their friendship grows, Eli stumbles upon the secret that Amanda is carrying about.
The movie was really well carried by the performances put on by Alexia Fast, Brad Dourif and Spencer Daniels.
As a movie without a myriad of CGI effects and in-your-face-effects, then "Last Kind Words" managed to tell a good story with only a handful of effects and make-up.
And story-wise, then director Kevin Barker managed to put together an enjoyable and entertaining movie, as well as contributing something new to the ghost / haunting genre.
However, the movie doesn't really have enough value to support a second watching. You watch the movie once, and then never return to it. But still, it was an entertaining movie.
Last Kind Words
2012
Action / Drama / Horror / Mystery / Romance / Thriller
Last Kind Words
2012
Action / Drama / Horror / Mystery / Romance / Thriller
Keywords: ghost story
Plot summary
17-year-old Eli has just moved with his family deep into the backwoods of Kentucky to work on the isolated farm of a local recluse. Inexplicably drawn into the strange forest that lies beyond the farm, Eli encounters the beautiful, sweet and mysterious Amanda, seemingly the perfect girl. But with the discovery of decaying bodies hanging from the trees, he realizes that the forest - and Amanda - are harboring some very dark secrets. Suddenly, Eli is living in a waking nightmare where the lines between life and death are scrawled in blood, and there is no escaping the terror from beyond the grave.
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A different haunting indeed...
UNFORGIVABLE SIN
This is an oddball ghost story, one that is neither scary or overly entertaining. The film opens with a scene of a boy shooting his father because of what appears to be a ghost. We then flash forward. Eli (Spencer Daniels) is a teen. When his abusive Pa (Clay Wilcox) loses his job at the factory he moves to the farm of his childhood friend Waylon (Brad Dourif) which is apparently in Kentucky. Here Eli meets Amanda (Alexia Fast) who we become immediately suspect. Eli is also visited by his girlfriend Katie (Sarah Steele) while developing feelings for Amanda.
What we don't know is how the opening scene relates to the current situation. In fact I guessed wrong and was confused for much of the film which unravels itself slowly like a good mystery. It is perhaps my own fault as I was expecting a horror story from the cover and not a mystery/drama.
The acting was good. The plot was acceptable. The construction of the tale and lack of character build-up needed work.
Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Skinny dipping scene with PG arm placement
Supernatural love story, beautifully shot but a bit of a messy script
A glance at the DVD cover and blurb of "Last Kind Words" would have anyone believing they were about to watch a sort of generic teen horror movie full of gore and jump scares but that's a long way from the truth. This is a slow-burn coming of age drama and a supernatural love story. It has a haunting, almost hypnotizing southern-Gothic sensibility that's really quite beautiful.
Eli, a 17 year old boy, finds himself moving with his abusive father and meek mother to the remote farmstead of family friend Waylon - played by the ever entertaining Brad Dourif - when the father loses his job. Eli ventures into the woods that surround the farm and meets a strange, alluring young girl called Amanda. As he begins to fall for Amanda he gradually uncovers a story of past tragic events on the farmstead and a rather sad haunting in the woods that goes all the way back to the days of the Underground Railroad.
The only real downfall of this otherwise beautiful movie is a script that's a little unsure of itself and ends up feeling a tad messy and confusing in parts. The pace might bore some - it really is a slow one - but personally I think it just added to the feels. I enjoyed it a lot and for an indie, it's a very strong piece of work.