The Horror Show
Nothing Left to Fear
by Anthony Leonardi III
Nothing Left to Fear has nothing left to offer to the horror genre, since its numerous clichés, worn out plot, and unbelievably slow pace of the story neither foretell nor provide a suspenseful and enjoyable choice. It unravels the story of a spiritualist community withdrawn from the rest of the world, as it hides dark and evil secrets.
This rural town named Stull is in need of a new pastor after its former one, Pastor Kingsman (Clancy Brown), is ready to retire from his year-long service. His substitute, Dan (James Tupper), a loving and caring father of three and his sweet wife Wendy (Anne Heche) move into Stull thinking it is God’s plan for them.
The entire town seems to welcome them warmly and they all get along. The family’s older daughter Rebecca ( Rebekah Brandes ) immediately picks her favourite in town; handsome, well-built Noah (Ethan Peck) is the town’s interesting offer to her.
The happy family – depicted in stupid cheesy scenes where the Bramfords tease each other in a wild effort to look funny and whimsical – bustles with excitement at the sight of their new home in the country and feels grateful to have such lovely neighbours.
Even though they are all blindsided by the town’s warm welcome and the neighbours’ love towards them, Rebecca can’t help having strange nightmares and keeps seeing people following her around in town. Her suspicions become more intense when her younger sister Mary (Jennifer Stone) swallows a tooth while eating a piece of cake; a house-warming gift from one of their neighbours.
That is only the beginning of their torture as after this unfortunate incident, Mary and her family become the devil’s target.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the town’s intentions towards the new family are not what they initially seemed to be. With Pastor Kingsman in the lead, the entire town plots against Dan and his family in order to retain its dark secrets and fulfil its leader’s desires. Mary is the chosen one, Stull is the gate to evil, and only by sacrificing her and her family will the town manage to close the gate and prevent evil from unleashing into the world.
It takes roughly 50 minutes for the action to start. It all begins with Mary’s possession as her veins in her body become black, her mouth opens wide and her eyes turn bloody-red. That is the scariest part in Nothing Left to Fear, so if that’s good enough for you, you might want to give it a chance.
Otherwise, instead of fear you’ll experience anger and sadness; sadness to see the family’s eight-year-old son (Carter Cabassa) beg for his life and anger due to the town’s apathy when Mary starts chasing her family.
The performances are probably the strongest asset of Nothing Left to Fear. Anne Heche‘s part, even though it is limited, serves its purpose and she successfully portrays the role of the mom/housewife/wife. Young Carter Cabassa is also quite memorable and the protagonist Rebekah Brandes excels at showing how charming she is.
On the whole, Nothing Left to Fear could have had a lot more to offer if it hadn’t wasted so much time in pointless scenes. Additionally, the ending – in an effort to be surprising and exciting –might leave viewers upset, confused, and not quite sure whether the bad guys are really that bad.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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