Jacob (2011)

(Screener Copy courtesy of Odyssee pictures)

Directed by Larry Wade Carrell

Written by by Larry Wade Carrell

Stars: Dylan Horne, Grace Powell, Krystn Caldwell, Larry Wade Carrell, Leo D. Wheeler, Joe Grisaffi, Parish Randall, Jeremy James Douglas Norton, Kerry Beyer and Michael Biehn, 











Big big thanks to Larry Wade Carrell for sending me a copy of his indie horror film Jacob.I have heard a lot of great things about the movie in previous months so was very keen to see what was in store and and extremely pleased to say that Jacob is one of the absolutely finest horror films I have seen in a while.

Teenage Jacob Kell, played by Dylan Horne, is a supposedly gentle giant with a very simple mind who lives with his younger sister Sissy, life beaten mother Edith and monstrous stepfather Otis. Life is tough on the young Kell kids as Otis, a raving alcoholic and bully regularly beats and verbally abuses their mother.             There is a lot of input to this family's sad life from the local townsfolk and it is some of these interferences which help to contribute to the events which cause the violent climax of Jacob. Despite Jacobs mental condition he is extremely loving toward and protective of his young sister Sissy. It is a violent attack by Otis, when drunk, which causes the sad and premature death of Sissy unleashing a hidden rage in Jacob - and its the whole town who is in direct danger not just the man directly responsible....

Its then safe to say that the film gets gruesome. In fact it gets bat-shit crazy gruesome as Jacob wrecks a vicious revenge upon several members of the town as he mourns the loss of his sister. I don't want to spoil any of the kills in the film but will say that there are some fantastic methods of homicide employed by young Jacob and a few in particular may just make your jaw drop! In addition there is a mysterious supernatural angle to the plot which I don't want to spoil for any future viewers but I will say that it involves Jacob's real father, an extremely creepy house and a much deeper dimension to what could have been a simpler plot.

There are some excellent performances in the film: Krystn Caldwell invokes genuine sympathy in her role as Edith Kell, a lady so betrayed by life it is impossible not to feel sorry for her despite some truly questionable choices she makes. Both Dylan Horne and Grace Powell are fantastic in their respective roles of Jacob and Sissy. Dylan portrays the silent, lumbering Jacob with such skill that I truly felt I was watching a young man with severe mental issues. When Jacob turns murderous I felt Dylan Horne did an amazing job of switching his character from essentially harmless to frighteningly harmful in the blink of an eye. Don't get me wrong there are two or three earlier indications of the anger lying within Jacob earlier on in the film but I felt it so easy to believe that ultimately he couldn't harm a fly unless any harm coming to his sister or mother provoked him. Grace Powell damn near steals the show at certain points in the film with her bossy but caring attitude towards her brother. There are a couple of scenes that are simply touching and that's thanks to Grace's portrayal of young Sissy. On top of writing and directing the film, Larry Wade Carrell also plays two pivotal roles in the movie. Both roles are excellently acted, particularly when you consider one is the light, Deputy Billy and one is very much the dark, Billy's violent drunk bother Otis. I found it very easy to differentiate between the two contrasting roles which isn't always easy to do when the same actor is playing them so amazing job here!

The film is beautifully and atmospherically shot; scenes in which the aforementioned creepy home are featured are particularly well shot, adding a genuine atmosphere of dread to proceedings.

I HIGHLY recommend Jacob to everyone. The ending gave me hope that the journey Jacobs home town and possibly even Jacob himself is not yet over and that there is more to come in a potential sequel. I would be really excited for a follow up personally. Check out the films Facebook page HERE and keep in the loop regarding release details for the film as you will want to grab a copy as soon as its available!