BEEZEL – Review

Beezel got its UK premiere at Grimmfest, Manchester’s International Festival of Fantastic Film, and it’s safe to say this one is an intriguing mix of classic and modern horror elements. Directed by Aaron Fradkin and written by Aaron and Victoria Fradkin the film presents a chilling story spanning over six decades which involves the inhabitants and visitors of a New England home who fall prey to the eternal witch living beneath its floors. Unfortunately the removal of pesky witches isn’t a service rentokil offer. 

In classic portmanteau style, we view Beezel through a series of interconnected vignettes, which move through the different time periods. This lets us in on the witch’s influence on several generations of the same family. The different segments are partially shot using the various recording technologies of each era from Super-8 through to digital formats which is an interesting spin on the found footage style format, combining traditional film making with the handheld cam shots.

If you love practical effects, tight scripting, and well paced folk horror you’re going to love this. The film comes in at 82 minutes and none of those are wasted.

The use of multiple time periods, each revealing a different facet of the witch’s hold over the family, kept me engrossed. Fradkin’s direction is sharp, focusing on subtle, quiet moments rather than in-your-face scares apart from when I genuinely nearly needed new pants as I shouted “oh fuck off Mrs Weems”. 

Each era segment feels like a piece of a puzzle, slowly building up to us finding out what’s happening, all adding to the sense of unease. Nothing is truly explained, everything is open to your interpretation. 

Performance-wise, Beezel is anchored by a strong cast, though the portmanteau nature of the story means no single character is the focal point. Instead, the house itself becomes a central character that looms over every scene. The actors deliver grounded performances that make the fear feel all too real and the glimpses of the witch make her feel like part of the house.

The cinematography and sound design are gorgeous, adding to the sense of dread, and the intersection of the characters recordings are well placed and add more to that feeling rather than pulling us out of the story. 

The final scene and titles, well… A word of warning, this film will linger in the back of your mind, its dread festering long after the credits have rolled.

Oh and, fuck Mrs Weems!

One to look out for!

I went in to the Beezel house without watching any trailers. You, however can check out the trailer below if you wish – GOOD LUCK!