Search - Conjure on DVD

Utterly insufferable

thetwonky | Northridge, CA USA | 08/15/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"My wife and I are huge horror fans, and she bought this stinker based on the previous Amazon reviews (obviously written by friends and or fans of Matt Busch-I hope). We watched it and she spent the rest of the evening apologizing. No problem, sweetheart, but that's what you get when you trust someone who can't even spell the word "gem." The real premise of this movie is "Me and my girlfriend got's us a camera and we's made us a movie!" Yeah, its shot on a video, which I wouldn't normally discount, but when its shot by just Matt and his girl, or left on a tripod when both are in the shot, and mostly left on auto focus (resulting is several out-of-focus shots) it is REALLY distracting. But perhaps not as distracting as the bad acting (Busch, girlfriend and a couple of other no-pro friends), lame costumes (done by girlfriend) which all add to the dreadful mess that this is.

It begins with a mini bio-doc of Matt's life (he and his girl portray themselves in the movie) letting us all know how great he was. He seems to have had a successful career as a Hollywood storyboard artist, but now lives in suburban Detroit, in search of something "more meaningful" in his life. So what does he do? He steals a photograph from a tombstone in a cemetery! He crafts a painting of the picture of what he calls a castle- which is really more of a cottage- and through some cheesy video effects he becomes possessed or something, and he and his girl are transported to the "castle." It's haunted, they make it back, but they are followed by the spirits with painfully obvious intentionally ripped clothing yet somehow survive despite the continuity errors. Any fan of the genre will have seen it all before, but with better effects and better-crafted costumes.

If you are interested in how atrocities are committed, have no fear, you can watch all the DVD extras, which include a "making of documentary", shot and directed by guess who-Busch- revealing how cheaply this was done. There is also a Q & A session after the "premiere" with Matt and his girl. Not to mention the unfunny bloopers- the film itself prompts more belly laughs, albeit unintentionally.

The inclusion of the bio-prolog is the most telling thing of all- Busch just doesn't like being out of the limelight. Hence, this "effort.""

I wish I could give this a zero

DLH | 01/04/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Horrible acting, Matt Busch should stick to drawing. The entire movie looks like it was shot with a cell phone camera. The plot was lame, the execution was pathetic, and Busch is just a fat, egotistical clown that NEEDS attention.

If this is what passes for horror, you should pick up 'Pretty Woman' or 'The English Patient' for a better scare."