Keeping away from the Halloween onslaught of horror films the indie I Am ZoZo releases on DVD in the midst of the pre-Holiday season. A chancy shot at getting the left over from a hot expansive release period may have been a mistake, but in the terror genre there’s always an audience no matter what time of the year. Claimed to be based on real experiences, the film presents no evidence of the actual events that happen in this film.
The movie opens with a young girl playing with a Ouija board and becoming agitated when a spirit gets revealed to her called ZoZo. The following message comes up on the screen; “if you are contacted by a spirit that vibrates towards ‘ZoZo’, proceed with caution” – Darren Evans, survivor.
Switch to 5 teens who have decided to spend Halloween on a deserted island called Paradise in the middle of a lake. The house they are staying in belongs to one of the group and after they settle in they find there is no electricity. Using candles and flashlights the group settles in for an evening of Halloween fun. Mel (Courtney Foxworthy) suggests they play with the Ouija board she brought along and when Tess (Kelly McLaren) joins her they start to get messages from a spirit. When the spirit gives the name ZoZo the group finds themselves in the midst of a terrifying encounter with an entity that won’t let go of their minds.
The film has an age old story of the negative happenings when you use a Ouija board. It’s actually a very good ploy to bring on a good horror flick and leave an audience with a “what if it is true” feeling. Most movies that add terror as an element want the spectator to walk away with a feeling of dread and this one does accomplish that.
Writer/director Scott Di Lalla uses home super 8 cameras that are almost extinct to put his movie on the screen. It gives a feel that the movie is a documentary and therefore a ‘real’ happening. But, the problem comes with the script and the inexperienced cast. The story gets bogged down with worn-out dialogue from other films and the setting can be seen in most of the slasher flicks like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and on and on. The formula has been used before, even if Ouija hasn’t reared its ugly head for quite some time.
What does save the film however is the music. The constant beat and the eerie sounds tear at your brain and give one the feeling that something is in the room while you are watching this little horror gem. It’s a feeling that’s very hard to emit, but music supervisor Zack Coffman and composer of the theme music Aniela Perry pull off some very sadistic and skin crawling melodies that punctuate the supernatural being played out on the screen.
This may be a low budget film without all the bells and whistles that most of this past Halloween films possess, but it does entertain. It’s one of those lost cult favors that stick with a certain group and rears its ugly head at pajama parties and preteen sleepovers. The film has not been rated by the MPAA but does have language and horror violence. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are very inappropriate for adolescents.
The film quality is just okay considering that it was filmed with an 8 millimeter camera. Most of the grainy effects are the result of the use of the low light film and the difficulty in the technical editing using the medium. It’s actually a good thing being shot in this format because it gives the feel of a documentary with reality dividends.
Sound issues from low budget recording equipment may be heard in many of the scenes, but it’s not your Dolby Digital 5.1. If anything, the Dolby sound enhances these negative aspects, so if your television doesn’t have the capability of playing the 5.1 it may be a blessing in disguise. Although it doesn’t get to the point that it’s distracting, side noise can also be helpful in creating a terror mood.
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, Caleb Courtney and Darren Wayne Evans
Director: Scott Di Lalla
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Genre: Horror
Running Time: 1 hr 35 min
Video Release Date: November 19, 2013
Original Film Release Date: February 18, 2012
Language: English
Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen for 16×9 TV, Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: none
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: RLJ / Image Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
