The Taking of Deborah Logan is a 2014 American found footage horror film directed by Adam Robitel and the cast includes Jill Larson, Anne Ramsay and Michelle Ang.
I do love found footage horror movies, even the bad ones I don't really regret watching, despite a lot being quite similar and having the same annoying flaws, but I can't help it, it's a genre I love despite all of this.
The Taking of Deborah Logan is a film that took me by surprise with its unique blend of demonic horror and real-life tragedy and while it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the best found footage movies out there, it certainly leaves a lasting strong impression.
The plot follows Mia and her film crew, who set out to document the life of Deborah Logan, an elderly woman diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and their original intention is to capture the effects of the disease on Deborah and her daughter, Sarah.
But, as the filming progresses, they begin to encounter some strange and disturbing occurrences.
The shift from documenting a medical condition to uncovering a terrifying mystery in The Taking of Deborah Logan is executed with impressive subtlety and precision, and at first, you are drawn into the reality of Alzheimer's, and the documentary crew’s focus on capturing the emotional struggles of Deborah and her daughter, Sarah.
This initial focus on the devastating effects of the disease creates a sense of empathy and connection to the characters, before the film takes a turn, as we witness the crew documenting Deborah’s decline, and what initially seems like a poignant, albeit sad, documentary about the ravages of Alzheimer's disease soon takes a darker turn.
As the plot progresses, the film doesn’t rely heavily on special effects, which works to its advantage, but instead, it’s the performances, particularly Jill Larson’s portrayal of Deborah, that anchor the horror, and her ability to move seamlessly from the confusion and vulnerability of Alzheimer’s to moments of pure terror makes Deborah’s transformation into something monstrous truly unsettling.
She really brings to life the fear and confusion of someone losing themselves to Alzheimer’s as she manages to make Deborah both a sympathetic and frightening figure, and I thought she was fantastic in the film.
The movie does stumble as it nears its conclusion though, like many horror films, it can’t resist the temptation to go a bit over the top in the final act, leading to a chaotic and somewhat predictable ending, and after spending much of the movie slowly building a sense of dread with careful pacing and emotional depth, the final act takes a turn toward that is maybe a bit over-the-top.
Despite this, The Taking of Deborah Logan is still a strong entry in the found footage genre as it successfully taps into the real fear associated with Alzheimer’s, using it as a backdrop for a pretty sold horror movie.
While it might lean on some typical horror elements by the end, the film’s exploration of the disease and its impact on a family gives it an edge over other films in the found footage genre and is well worth watching.
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