June

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source: June

A total pile of junk. Why even bother making this film. Waste of time. A tyipcal not scary film at all. The stroy is everywhere but yet there is no clues on what this film is about!

Don't upset June. Really? I've seen more consequences to being asked to wear a mask in a supermarket. The acting is mainly good, so that's why it has any stars. I suppose it gets better towards the end...but I didn't get that far the second time, I think I fell asleep...or maybe had another stroke.

The film opens with the cult sacrifice of a baby that isn't sacrificed. We then jump to 9 years later when our infant is now a moody kid with a demon friend in foster care. Eventually she (Kennedy Brice) comes under the care of Lily (Victoria Pratt) and her husband Dave (Casper Van Dien). Dave has trouble adjusting to things breaking around him. To quote a Christian Slater film (Way of the Wicked) it was "some kind of omen kid." This one wasn't any better or worse than the lot of also ran films out there. A decent rental and a film you will soon forget. Casper Van Dien doesn't save the world in this one. Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

More a dark supernatural thriller than a horror, this is not an annoying movie when so many real horrors are. It is somewhat forgettable though, enlivened by what is actually a very poignant and charming depiction of a child without a place to call home. Fairly effective as propaganda for making the adoption process much easier.

Host to a demonic entity called Aer, June (Kennedy Brice) is a pre-teen Carrie/female Damien who unleashes her telekinetic powers whenever she gets angry. After being fostered by an abusive white trash family on a trailer park, June is eventually adopted by married childless couple Dave and Lily Anderson (Casper Van Dien and Victoria Pratt), but June's 'invisible friend' Aer prevents her from leading a normal family life, much to the dismay of her new parents. Extremely derivative (June is bullied and even has her first period in front of her classmates, just like Carrie), and completely devoid of scares, this weak supernatural chiller also suffers from unnecessarily pretentious artsy direction and lapses in logic. The pre-credits scene, in which cultists offer up the infant June to the malevolent spirit Aer, is clumsy and confusing; the idea that uncaring trailer park trash would ever be allowed to foster children is ludicrous; and the revelation that certain adults aren't quite who they seem is predictable. Youngster Brice isn't at all bad as the titular character, but the film itself is completely forgettable. Let's hope that the sequel/series that the ending is clearly setting itself up for never happens.

Crucial, with a film concerning a deeply troubled child, is the casting of the titular character. It is with relief to note that 9 year-old June is played by Kennedy Brice with all the awkwardness and sense of isolation required of an 'outsider', but she never slides into petulance or brattishness. After a difficult early life on a trailer park, she is adopted by Dave Anderson (mightily-jawed 'Starship Troopers' and 'Sleepy Hollow' actor Casper Van Dien) and his wife Lily (Victoria Pratt). The way their wholesome veneer of eager goodwill slowly becomes fragmented by June's strange behaviour is well played. And yet June is as much the victim of her 'possession' as anyone. Rather like early onset Alzheimer's disease, her moments of clarity are very appealing and heart-breaking, merged as they are by the bewilderment she feels as to her condition: she shares her body with an ancient supernatural being, of course. "She's a very special girl," we are told. Rather like a pre-teen 'Carrie (1976)', this tells the tale of one person's frightening possession very well, but where it doesn't deliver is ramping up the actual scares. The usually effective blackening-of-eyes effect used to signify inner darkness is creepy enough, but around the midway mark, it becomes apparent that this is as frightening as things are going to get. Ultimately, 'June' starts with a lot of promise, but finds itself constricted by its approach to the story of demonic possession and goes more than a bit 'sci-fi' towards the end. This nullifies any ability to scare and loses the connection with the audience in its carefully built-up first half. It is well done, but emerges somewhat tamer than I would have liked.

This is enjoyable horror. It's very well acted, the script is good and the plot plausible for modern horror. It's true there are no real surprises once the piece is up and running, but it has good similarities to Carrie (relationship development with parents and others), and a couple of points that work better, such as the cuteness and extra youth of June and her peers, and the less over-the-top special effects, which are good. That the budget went for good special effects at perhaps the expense of a larger cast was an intelligent stroke, and I'm almost inclined to give this an 8. There is a a welcome spread here of tension leading to moments of horror frenzy, and enough clever mystery to keep one interested. I'd not be surprised if future opinion will regard this sincerely professional production as one that should have enjoyed more credibility and ratings than current.