Dreamcatcher is the feature directorial debut of its writer Jacob Johnston. For his first full length movie Johnston has opted to set Faust within the world of dance music. Two sisters, a friend and friend-zone head to an all night rave. After a chance meeting with the headline DJ one of the sisters commits suicide whilst under the influence hallucinogens; one by one all those involved are killed by a masked murderer.
This is a film that never finds its momentum. It just never seems to go anywhere and then ends. The pacing is so poor that I became more engrossed in how long was left than the actual story. The lack of engagement partly is due to you feeling no connection to the leads. There is no substance to any of their back stories, meaning we’re left with some pretty one-dimensional characters.
The script also has some pretty risible dialogue. There are moments that touch on work of Tommy Wiseau. No wonder the leads struggle to produce anything close to a decent performance.
What Dreamcatcher does have going for it is the cinematography. The whole film drifts between moments that feel like dream and then suddenly switches to a nightmarish world. Some beautifully lit moments really catch the eye and, for the briefest of seconds, draw you into Jacob Johnston’s world.
There are also so nice practical effects. Heads are stomped, bodies pierced, blood pours; it all looks great, straddling the line between reality and popcorn horror.
Verdict: 4/10. Like a Big Mac Dreamcatcher looks nice, but is deeply unsatisfying.
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