LET’S SCARE JULIE (2020)
Flick finds troubled Emma (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson) having lost her parents and now living with her cousin Taylor (Isabel May). Taylor and her friends Madison (Odessa A’zion), Paige (Jessica Sarah Flaum) and Jess (Brooke Sorenson) decide to prank the new girl across the street, Julie. The mysterious Julie and her family have moved into a house that already has a spooky reputation, due to a creepy woman who used to live there. Something goes terribly wrong for the girls while in the house and now Emma soon finds herself alone and feeling something is after her.
Let’s Scare Julie is written and directed by Jud Cremata and allegedly filmed in one long take. It is impressive for that alone, especially considering some scenes feature up to five actors performing at a time. Add to that it’s actually a very spooky and intense flick, once things get going and we have a pleasant and creepy little surprise. It achieves it’s effectiveness without showing us very much at all, instead relying on character reactions and Chuck Ozeas’ atmospheric and creepy cinematography to establish a feeling of dread and danger. A scene between Emma and her drunk uncle (Blake Robbins) is as unsettling as anything supernatural. The acting is quite good, from a cast of young unknowns, including little Dakota Baccelli as Emma’s little sister Lily. We know eventually Emma will wind up in Julie’s house, but it is still scary when she finally heads across the street. It’s not perfect. Sometimes the girls’ chatter overlaps and it’s hard to follow everything they are saying and the film does kinda just end after a very spooky middle and last act. Otherwise, this is a chilling little movie about a prank that goes terribly wrong, right in time for the Halloween season. Available to rent on Amazon and Google Play.
-MonsterZero NJ
MonsterZero NJ's Movie Madhouse 