Pyewacket Movie Review:

Pyewacket is a Supernatural Thriller combined with internal family struggle.

Our main character, Leah, starts practicing with the occult after the death of her father.

Pyewacket is not only about the supernatural. It’s about the conflict between mother and daughter. Nicole Munoz plays Leah. An angsty teen that dabbles in the occult and doesn’t get along with her mother.

Leah’s mother played by Laurie Holden of Walking Dead Fame is fantastic.

The animosity between the two is there from the beginning of the movie. It spirals out of control once Leah’s Mother decides to move to a new home.

Moving would leave Leah with nothing. It would abandon the only thing in her life that she loves – her friends from school.

Once they move to their new home in the middle of the woods, the conflict between the two hits an all-time high.

They get into an argument which ends with Leah’s Mother lashing out at her daughter.

Leah then, riddled with malice, decides to perform an occult ritual. It will summon a spirit to kill her mother.

The spirit she summons is none other than Pyewacket.

Leah has summoned something which she has no control over. She does not know the consequences of performing the ritual. Leah has brought something into their home with the intent of execution. She has done this with an emotion that will not last.

Pyewacket is a film that doesn’t have any jump-scares or gore, which is refreshing. The movie is all about atmosphere and dread.

The combination of all this makes Pyewacket one of my favorite films released so far this year.

Pyewacket is written and directed by Adam MacDonald.

MacDonald made an excellent man vs. nature movie called Backcountry a few years back that I loved.

I hope Pyewacket sends a message to mainstream Hollywood. You don’t need cheesy jump scares to produce a quality horror movie.

A horror movie can be excellent based on atmosphere alone.

To add to the sense of dread of the movie is the superb camera work. MacDonald builds the tension of the viewer whether the scene is taking place during the day or night.

A concealed plotline running throughout Pyewacket is that on Grief.

Both Leah and her mother are grieving over the death of Leah’s father. They are both handling it in their own negative ways.

Leah gets her release by listening to heavy metal music and messing around with the occult.

Leah’s Mother wants to be as far away from any remembrance of her husband that she can. She wants a fresh start to get through the grieving process.

The hostility between the two builds right up until the moment Pyewacket arrives.

The movie then takes a turn into full-on creep mode.

Our characters start hearing bumps in the night. Dark shadows appear while they are sleeping.

Once Leah suspects something malevolent is in the house, she turns to her friends for help.

They all laugh at her except for Janice played by Chloe Rose from Hellions. She wants to sleep over Leah’s to witness the spirit firsthand.

The next morning we see Janice a wreck. She has locked herself in Leah’s Mother’s car and is screaming to go home. Janice had a confrontation with Pyewacket the night before and wants to get as far away from it as she can.

The middle act of the movie is where we see the regret from Leah’s actions.

They sit down and have a peaceful conversation. The scene shows the love that Leah’s mother still has for her daughter. Our characters have a loving connection we haven’t seen until this part of the movie.

The results of the connection leave Leah filled with remorse over the decisions she has made. Leah wants to take back the summoning of Pyewacket.

If you enjoyed the atmosphere of the movie up until now I have good news. MacDonald saves the best for last.

The final act of Pyewacket shows Leah trying everything to rid herself and her family of the spirit.

If you have watched any other supernatural horror movies than you know this isn’t going to be easy.

Adam MacDonald doesn’t use typical horror movie tropes. He doesn’t rely on bad effects or over the top CGI.

Adam keeps the focus on the where the focus should be – us the audience.

What I mean by that is he never strays away from the flawless camera work – even in the Final Act.

The conflict we have seen between Leah and her mother reaches an all-time high in the final act.

Supernatural horror movies all usually end up going to the same destination. Pyewacket was no different but I was still shocked and unsettled by the ending. It complemented the rest of the movie.

Pyewacket has a small cast but they all put on excellent performances.

For me, Nicole Munoz was a character that I rooted for at the beginning of the film. By the end, I was unsure about what my feelings towards this character were.

Leah is a troubled young woman. As the movie goes on, you see the conflict she is having in her life but still want to like her.

Pyewacket also tugged at my heartstrings a little. The character of Leah and what she was going through is something I can relate to. When we are growing up sometimes we are assholes to the people closest. This results in them not being there when we need them the most because of our past bullshit we put them through.

Munoz goes from being a strong independent teen to a scared little girl.

Once Pyewacket arrives, she has nowhere and no one to turn to.

I enjoyed the trauma we get to see around Leah’s mother. She wants to be there for her daughter but cant put aside her own grief. Between lashing out at Leah for trivial things and her method of coping, Leah’s mother is as troubled as her daughter.

The dysfunction between the two is what makes Pyewacket such a special movie for me. MacDonald gives us something else to watch besides the monster.

The two movies I watched from Adam MacDonald shows that he is a master of the basic and the creepy. The atmosphere he brings is surreal but also makes us feel it could happen to any of us.

The realism in both of his films is what makes me a huge fan of his work. Realism is best in horror. It frightens more than the over the top because it feels like we are watching someone we know.

Pyewacket hit home for me, not only as a horror movie but as a drama. It hits home for those of us that thought we were too cool for school when we were teenagers.

Pyewacket is refreshing. It is one of the best movies I have seen this year.

I look forward to the next film from Adam MacDonald and company.