When I started this blog it was an easy decision. I have a passion for horror movies, but I also wanted to challenge myself to watch horror movies that ordinarily I would avoid. Afflicted (2013) is one such movie that due to the found footage style and seemingly cliche storyline I would have avoided, but upon viewing it I am glad that I watched it.
It's not that I detest all found footage movies, some can be good, some have creeped me out, maybe moreso than a "normal" horror movie. Afflicted didn't so much creep me out as it did engage my full attention. Some people have complained that it was a boring movie. I would say within the found footage genre it was actually action packed. The only point at which the movie almost loses direction was when Derek discovers he has super powers. They really did over play the look what I can do part.
The plot is a simple one, and certainly nothing original but the movie is coherent. Derek has been diagnosed with a condition of the brain that could cause him to be paralysed at any moment. Rather than sit and wait, covered in cotton wool, he decides to go on a round the world travel adventure with his friend Clif. Of course Clif will be filming everything, he has cameras coming out of his... well he has a lot of cameras. All is going well until a chance encounter in a bar in Paris with a mysterious woman who leaves Derek lying bleeding in a hotel bedroom. After that the movie, and Dereks transformation, start to happen.
Afflicted is of course a victim of the usual problems that befall films within the found footage genre. One of the main problems is explaining why on earth do they continue to film when any rational human would be throwing the camera away. Also, in the event your friend was undergoing some crazy transformation, taking his own eye balls out, and running like Superman, surely it is time to go to hospital? Afflicted was a little bit more clever than some found footage mobies when dealing with these issues and making the decisions taken seem more rational, and explainable.
The acting was actually fairly good, in the found footage genre that is rarity, at least in the case of the movies i have watched. I thought the special effects were of a decent standard also. The action scenes were also well done, particularly the encounters with the various swat teams that are trying to stop Derek. There is also enough gore to keep gore fans happy, as well as a rather disgusting restaurant scene.
Is Afflicted a movie that would ever be in my top 10, absolutely not. Is it an engaging film that keeps the viewer watching, absolutely yes. If you can manage to get past the point in the film when Derek starts to behave like a superhero you will find it gets better. The ending is somewhat predictable, but the encounter with the mysterious female beforehand did not end the way I expected. So i am paradoxically pleased yet disappointed with the ending.
7 out of 10, check it out.