The Veil (2016)

The Veil: Directed by Phil Joanou. With Jessica Alba, Thomas Jane, Lily Rabe, Aleksa Palladino. Twenty-five years after members of a religious cult committed mass suicide, the lone survivor returns to the scene of the tragedy with a documentary crew in tow.

“The premise of cult suicide eerily resembles real life tragedy, perhaps it is such intended effect. A cult leader Jim Jacobs (Thomas Jane) allegedly leads his congregation to their deaths in a promise of unworldly reward. In a pleasant surprise Thomas Jane is bizarrely fitting cast for the charismatic leader. Heu0026#39;s been delivering good characters in last few years and he seems to get better each time.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAfter the events of mass suicide, a sole survivor is found, Sarah Hope (Lily Rabe). It takes her 25 years but she eventually returns to the site with a film crew. The Veil already produces anticipation more than the usual documentary crew fumbling into uncharted territory.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIts premise and ambiance are presentable, often using grey tone and cryptic air to its advantage. Although it uses found footage element, it doesnu0026#39;t force the gimmick for the entirety of the movie, thus it could show the past and present sequences freely.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMost of the horrors are based on foundation of Jim Jacobsu0026#39; cult, which effectively produces a creepy setting. Furthermore, Thomas Jane as the prophet role has a way to allure interest as well as secretively shows some hints of violence. Heu0026#39;s magnetic but still a shady person. The dark forest gives a proper visual for the ordeal, maintaining the sense of isolation well.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnfortunately, few of the potentials for the scare end up in predictable fashion or blunt jump scares. Aside from Sarah Hope and the lead director Maggie (Jessica Alba), the rest of cast are not fully fleshed out. Still, the mystery effect and the appropriately crafted presentation manage to construct overall frightening atmosphere.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Veil rallies and promises a great horror from its harrowing cultist vibe. It stutters a bit towards the end, contrasting the good basis it has set, yet the narrative and atmosphere still create gratifyingly creepy experience.”