Admirably he wrote, directed and produced 'The Shadow People' himself. The result is an interesting film with a few shortcomings, but I'll get to that later. First, I want to talk about the story because personally I thought it was pretty damn cool. Faraj's film revolves around a young woman called Bethany Ryder (Joanne Wurm) and her struggle against the supernatural.
'The Shadow People' opens with an extremely effective found footage sequence. We are introduced to our heroine and bear witness to a strange Satanic ritual. Nine months later Bethany wakes up in a hospital , the staff explain she's been the victim of a severe beating leaving her in a coma. The doctors, who speak like scientists from a 1950's B-movie, are puzzled by the fact she continued sleepwalking despite her condition. Bethany, distraught even further when she's told her boyfriend was killed by the Satanists, is taken home by her grandfather Bob (Jim Strang).
There's a lot that can happen in nine months. Upon Bethany's return she's introduced to Jimmy (Paul Zegarac), a young man who recently lost his parents and is taken in my Bob. Understandably, the girl is eager to return to her normal life but this proves difficult. During the night she's haunted by apparitions and during the day she finds herself growing closer to Jimmy. As the hauntings become worse she finds out the frightening repercussions of the Satanistic ritual. She's told that from her dead body the Antichrist must be born to bring about the end of the world. Next thing she knows she's knee deep in Satan's shit.
The film itself has a lot of strong points. The camera work, editing and scoring are striking. Even the special-effects, a big problem for many independent productions, are well done and convincing. There's also an amazingly staged action sequence in which a masked man chases Bethany while brandishing a chain. The moments between her realizing his presence and the eventual run for safety are terrifying. Both the girl and the masked man look at each other for what appears to be an eternity.
The acting is a bit uneven but it's acceptable considering most of the actors are at the start of their careers. Still, there's moments, especially between Bethany and Jimmy, that feel absolutely genuine. Another weak spot is the movie's length. Running for nearly 2.5 hours 'The Shadow People' is a long film. This is unfortunate because it dilutes the impact of the story. There are some scenes that fail to grab our attention because of the uninteresting dialogue; we're just waiting for the film to pick up again. Without these scenes the pacing and the flow of the story would've been improved.
What's more difficult to solve is the coherence of some story elements. I liked the Satanic angle but there's stuff that I thought might be explained later on in the film but wasn't. For instance, what was that strange screaming creature in the film's opening? Where did that man-eating zombie guy come from? And what happened to the villain? His final moments reminded me of the climax to 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', but was it actually the wrath of God? I would've liked to have known this. Perhaps we'll find out in a sequel.
All in all 'The Shadow People' is a triumph for a young filmmaker. It's a remarkably well produced and directed piece of work and it deserves all the viewers it can get. I'd like for Faraj to continue his work and show us what more he can do. Because this film, even though it's a little rough around the edges, shows a lot of promise.
If you want to check out 'The Shadow People' you can click here!
There's a lot that can happen in nine months. Upon Bethany's return she's introduced to Jimmy (Paul Zegarac), a young man who recently lost his parents and is taken in my Bob. Understandably, the girl is eager to return to her normal life but this proves difficult. During the night she's haunted by apparitions and during the day she finds herself growing closer to Jimmy. As the hauntings become worse she finds out the frightening repercussions of the Satanistic ritual. She's told that from her dead body the Antichrist must be born to bring about the end of the world. Next thing she knows she's knee deep in Satan's shit.
The film itself has a lot of strong points. The camera work, editing and scoring are striking. Even the special-effects, a big problem for many independent productions, are well done and convincing. There's also an amazingly staged action sequence in which a masked man chases Bethany while brandishing a chain. The moments between her realizing his presence and the eventual run for safety are terrifying. Both the girl and the masked man look at each other for what appears to be an eternity.
The acting is a bit uneven but it's acceptable considering most of the actors are at the start of their careers. Still, there's moments, especially between Bethany and Jimmy, that feel absolutely genuine. Another weak spot is the movie's length. Running for nearly 2.5 hours 'The Shadow People' is a long film. This is unfortunate because it dilutes the impact of the story. There are some scenes that fail to grab our attention because of the uninteresting dialogue; we're just waiting for the film to pick up again. Without these scenes the pacing and the flow of the story would've been improved.
What's more difficult to solve is the coherence of some story elements. I liked the Satanic angle but there's stuff that I thought might be explained later on in the film but wasn't. For instance, what was that strange screaming creature in the film's opening? Where did that man-eating zombie guy come from? And what happened to the villain? His final moments reminded me of the climax to 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', but was it actually the wrath of God? I would've liked to have known this. Perhaps we'll find out in a sequel.
All in all 'The Shadow People' is a triumph for a young filmmaker. It's a remarkably well produced and directed piece of work and it deserves all the viewers it can get. I'd like for Faraj to continue his work and show us what more he can do. Because this film, even though it's a little rough around the edges, shows a lot of promise.
If you want to check out 'The Shadow People' you can click here!
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