Rent The Curse of Lilith Ratchet (2018)

Gets better as it goes along ... - The Curse of Lilith Ratchet review by NP

This doesn’t start in a promising fashion. A pre-credits sequence that is so mild, it fails to deliver much tension or atmosphere (our villainess looks much better later on in the film). As things progress, we become acquainted with a shrunken head, and the game that comes with it. You wouldn’t, would you? Play the game, I mean.

So when the main characters play this game, you know things aren’t going to end well. You also know that this bunch aren’t the smartest gang you’ll ever meet - but you get into it. For an independent film, the budget is very well utilised, the sound and direction (by Eddie Lengyel, who also wrote) are polished. The acting is uneven (some of lack of expression is restricted by the surgically enhanced appearance of some performers) – a good example being a séance that shifts effortlessly from moments that are effective to others that are pretty poorly performed. You win some, you lose some. There is, however, a compelling and troubling inevitability regarding the characters’ fates. Lilith herself looks progressively effective, although her kills are fairly mild. There’s also a nice twist at the end. My score is 7 out of 10.