Beneath Us All movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Beneath Us All

This vampire drama is now playing on Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and Apple TV.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 31 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about a teenage girl who is going to age out of the foster care system soon. She finds a Yggdrasil pendant, which releases an evil presence near her foster family’s home.

The film was directed by Harley Wallen. Writing credits go to Bret Miller. Film critics have applauded his growth as a filmmaker. Already, the film has been nominated for 9 awards and won a whopping 23 at various film festivals.

THINGS I LIKED:

The film starts with violent events from centuries prior to secure a spooky Nordic lore. Then, the rest of the movie takes place in the present day.
The cast includes some old and new actors who create creepy characters: Sean Whalen, Maria Olsen, and Yan Birch.
The kids in the movie did a pretty good job and are adorable.
A lot of the actual violence is off screen or seen in silhouettes. I actually appreciate the art of subtlety in that regard. I don’t have to see all of the horror and gore to know it’s happening.
The film illustrates different kinds of monsters.
The musical score and sound effects make the movie feel like an epic vampire tale.
The title is intriguing.
After the rolling credits at the end of the movie, the text on the screen assures us that no animals were harmed in the making of this film.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some of the acting is awkwardly wooden.
Some of the transitions are a bit rough.
It feels like a low-budget indie movie because it is. Manage your expectations.
The nighttime scenes are very dark visually, making it difficult to see what’s going on, especially if you watch this on a small screen.
It’s a bit slow-moving.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

We see blood splatters on people as they die.
A bird gets smashed to death
Talk of a divorce
Talk of selling Crystal Meth
Gambling, alcohol
A man hits a teenage girl
Profanity, including F-bombs

THEMES:

The Foster Care system
Emotional abuse
Belonging
Helping children find their “forever” home and family
Vampires

FUNNY LINES:

“Go and get drunk at a bar. Do whatever you need to do but I just need to make sure that you are taking some time for yourself.” – Mikaela Campbell (Shelby Bradley)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Seventeen is a fun age, but it can be pretty tricky.” – Rebecca (Kaiti Wallen)
“That’s why I want to help you because I feel like no one else is.” – Rebecca (Kaiti Wallen)
“We don’t always get what we really want.” – Todd Gibbs (Sean Whalen)
“Look what you made me do.” – Julie (Angelina Danielle Cama)