Too much of everything

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

A woman torments her wheelchair-bound daughter from beyond the grave with VHS tapes in this voodoo-themed supernatural thriller. Written by Robert Ben Garant and directed by Kevin Greutert, Jessabelle (2014) keeps you guessing until the end, but an engaging mystery and attractive lead isn't enough to save this mediocre horror film from Blumhouse Productions.Tragedy strikes pregnant Jessabelle "Jessie" Laurent (Sarah Snook) when her fiancé Mark is killed in a car accident, which also causes her to miscarry and become paralyzed from the waist down. Now wheelchair-bound, she returns home to Louisiana to live with her father, Leon (David Andrews). For some reason Leon has kept her mother, Kate's (Joelle Carter) old bedroom sealed and reopens it for Jessie. Neither Jessie nor their housekeeper seem to think this is odd.Jessie, who believes her mother died of a brain tumor, discovers tapes her mother recorded as a message for her eighteenth birthday. This instigates several disturbing encounters with a dark-haired phantom (Amber Stevens West). Leon tries to destroy the tapes but ends up burning to death. At his funeral, Jessie reunites with her childhood sweetheart, Preston Sanders (Mark Webber).Together, Jessie and Preston investigate the strange events and their connection to a local voodoo church. They discover a baby's skeleton buried in the bayou with the same name and birth date as Jessie. The local sheriff (Chris Ellis) discovers the child's origin too late to save Jessie, who is attacked by the ghost of Kate and a voodoo priest named Moses (Vaughn Wilson). I won't spoil the ending, but it's a crazy plot twist that might have been interesting if it was developed a bit more.Sarah Snook is an Australian actress mostly known for appearing nude in the infamous film Sleeping Beauty (2011). She graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts and performs admirably in Jessabelle, albeit with a sloppy Southern drawl. She spends most of the movie wearing low-cut dresses aimed at cornering the teenage boys who have never used the Internet to watch porn demographic. I'll give her character credit for not taking whatever inheritance her dad left and getting on the first bus out of town after watching him inexplicably burn to death in a shed.There aren't many films set in the Louisiana bayou and even less featuring voodoo. That's what originally drew me to this film, and I wish it would have more fully explored the subject. Jessie never attempts to understand her mother's dalliance with the dark arts until the last moment. It would have been more interesting if she tried to learn something about voodoo and combat whatever dark spirit was tormenting her. But Jessabelle's fast pace doesn't give the characters, or the audience, much time for reflection.The film grabs you and races toward its conclusion, not giving you time to stop and ask questions like: why wouldn't Jessie's dad get rid of his wife's clothes and personal belongings after 18 years? Why would Jessie's dad make her stay in Kate's old bedroom, where she could discover the video tapes, instead of her childhood room? Why does the ghost of an infant look like a grown woman? Why did Kate have a wheelchair, when she committed suicide and wasn't actually sick? Why does Jessie take a bath fully clothed?Okay, the PG-13 rating answers that question.Critics and audiences panned Jessabelle (25% and 31% on Rotten Tomatoes), but I didn't think it was nearly as bad as more recent horror films like The Hatred (2017) and Annabelle: Creation (2017). It has creepy atmosphere, a mystery that keeps you guessing, and a strong lead, but it just doesn't take any risks. Jessabelle would have been much better off with an R-rating and a director who wasn't afraid to get creative or push the envelope.

This movie suffers from the modern day horror problem of the 'ghost'(or spirit or entity or etc) having UNLIMITED power, with no way to defeat it. There's no real reason for the ghosts power given other than 'because voodoo'. It's hard to suspend disbelief for a ghost/power that can do anything, anywhere, anytime it wants, with zero checks to that power. Lazy story telling/writing. The 'heroine' is stupid, weak and boring without out the common sense God gave a jar of crunchy peanut butter. Plus it's REALLY creepy that she wears so many low cut dresses when the only person she knows she's going to see is her FATHER. She doesn't look overly slutty since her breasts aren't very big, but still, daddy doesn't need your bra-less boobies front and center daily.Don't waste your time.

***EDIT (2015-11-04)Wow, 0 out of 2 found this helpful...? Really...? GEEZ, are my reviews THAT bad, seriously... How very sad... Hey, PLEASE feel free to send me ANY suggestions at all about whatever you think I can do to improve, and I will be happy to try harder to do better...*** END EDITThis is VERY Old-School Horror. So, right up front some people who are used to and prefer more 'Modern' or intense Horror films will almost invariably NOT like this movie or will find it 'Slow' or 'Boring' as some have mentioned in their Review Summaries here.BUT... The film is indeed VERY well made, expertly put together, and most entertaining, *** IF *** you are the kind of person who likes this kind of Horror movie. It is first and foremost a Ghost Story / Voodoo film, with the emphasis on the Ghost Story part. Many here have either positively or negatively compared it to 'SKELETON KEY', which is somewhat true. Except that that movie is primarily a Voodoo film. If you liked it, then you may very well like this one (especially if you also like Ghost Stories :) It is almost entirely constructed out of a heavy, suspenseful mood that I personally found to be quite gripping, tangible, and visceral.The commentary is really enjoyable and I highly recommend listening to it if you do end up liking the film. The ones behind it, the director, writer, and others responsible for the creative processes in this movie clearly had a lot of fun making it. And, I really got the impression that although they both have done MUCH bigger projects, they still really put their hearts and a lot of work into making this one.Usually, the performances in these low budget Horror films can be quite insulting and excruciatingly bad at times (please see my review of the recent 'HONEYMOON' - GEEZ, the acting in that one was truly AWFUl compared to this one) But here, I feel that all the actors and actresses in this one are quite good, and more importantly, BELIEVABLE, which is usually what I find sorely missing in most Horror films today.But, I should make a very important point for any who may be interested in checking this film out. I really think that in order to be able to enjoy it fully, you probably should be the kind of person who is very impressionable with an active imagination, so that all the subtle and not-so-subtle atmospheric and creative touches of the film will have the greatest impact. Needless to say, I am such an impressionable Wussy, that this one definitely drew me in and smacked me around a little...So, IF you are the kind of person who cannot EASILY suspend disbelief and get sucked into a good Ghost Story or Voodoo based film, then you may likely just find this one to be kind of 'Slow' and 'Boring' like some others here have said. Especially if you like your Horror films to be more 'In your face' or with heavier doses of violence or gore.Remember, MOST PG-13 Horror films usually are not very good. So, in my lowly and wretched opinion, I honestly feel a lot of thought and work went into this movie to create a genuinely spooky and effective atmosphere. So, if you like this type of a slow-burn, atmospheric, moody Ghost Story with some Voodoo overtones, I think that there is a good chance that you might really enjoy it...

After watching the trailer for this film, I must say I had really high hopes. As a devout Horror fan with a declared preference towards ghost stores and haunting, I had looked forward to seeing another usual film of the genre, mediocre yet good and fun to watch.While Jessabelle is light-years away from competing with the sub- genres best like The Grudge or Dead Silence, it completes the task it unofficially took upon itself, as it obviously had no intentions of being profound or in any way great. Sarah Snook, while definitely not painful to look at to say the least, is far more than your usual Horror Eye-Candy made famous in classic Slashers. Trust me, this professional knows a hell of a lot more than screaming convincingly and looking fine in a bathing suite. This was my first encounter with her, and I must say she just might be the best thing about Jessabelle. Apparently she's been making quite a name for herself since 2012, and I can definitely see why. Even though her character is stuck in a wheel-chair, the empathy towards its desperation and helplessness is greatly created by Snook's acting skills.As for the story, it suffers from one of the known banes of Horror - a mediocre plot twist leasing to an anticlimactic ending, after a finely made build-up. At least there is a plot twist, true, as Horror films are highly upgraded by these in my opinion, but the one in Jessabelle simply feels unfulfilled. I find it difficult putting my finger on what should have been better about it, I just know it didn't create the sensation we expect from such twists. I believe that was the main reason for the ending being slightly wanting.All in all, I found Jessabelle to be quite average, meaning anyone who doesn't expect to have their mind blown and being swept off their feet by a masterpiece could enjoy it quite a bit, as I did. Snook's acting and the sufficiently smart plot make it even slightly above average. As always, I would recommend that you ignore my humble opinion, watch it and judge for yourselves. If you ask me - as far as this one is concerned, it's definitely worth it.