Know Fear (2021)

Know Fear is the latest film by director Jamison M. LoCascio. It is a familiar tale of a new family moving into a house that homes a demons and that leads to a possession.

The movie starts with a cold opening, which sets the narrative for the rest of the film quite nicely. Know Fear then becomes a slow paced by enjoyable horror. It takes its time and does a good job of building a sense of unease. This all leads to a nice twist ending.

The cast give great performances that really make you care what happens to the characters. Because of this there is a real sense of jeopardy when they confront the demon in the films second act.

The practical effects are really well done. Knife attacks and wounds all look real. The demon himself also looks realistic and doesn’t stray into noughties Doctor Who territory, as they often do in budget horrors.

Where Know Fear really falls down is in the fact it’s really not very original. You can almost pick bits out and say this is from this film and this is from that. This causing a problem, as you can then predict what is going to happen to each character. The other issue is a wish they’d been brave enough to not show the demon. The costume is great, but I still found him scarier before his reveal than after.

Verdict: 7/10. Know Fear is an enjoyable and unnerving horror, but the lack of originality does take something away from the experience.