X
- 2015
- TV-14
- Anchor Bay Entertainment
- 1 h 23 m
- 2015
- TV-14
- Anchor Bay Entertainment
- 1 h 23 m
Summary Dr. Henry West (William Mapother) founded The Atticus Institute in the early 1970s to test individuals expressing supernatural abilities – E.S.P., clairvoyance, psychokinesis, etc. Despite witnessing several noteworthy cases, nothing could have prepared Dr. West and his colleagues for Judith Winstead (Rya Kihlstedt). She outperformed eve...
Directed By: Chris Sparling
Written By: Chris Sparling
- 2015
- TV-14
- Anchor Bay Entertainment
- 1 h 23 m
- 2015
- TV-14
- Anchor Bay Entertainment
- 1 h 23 m
The Atticus Institute
Metascore
Critic reviews are not available yet
6.7
Where to Watch
Summary Dr. Henry West (William Mapother) founded The Atticus Institute in the early 1970s to test individuals expressing supernatural abilities – E.S.P., clairvoyance, psychokinesis, etc. Despite witnessing several noteworthy cases, nothing could have prepared Dr. West and his colleagues for Judith Winstead (Rya Kihlstedt). She outperformed eve...
Directed By: Chris Sparling
Written By: Chris Sparling
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Critic Reviews
tbd
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 15 User Ratings
6.7
53% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
47% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 15 User Ratings
6.7
53% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
47% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
I gave this movie a nine. The "found footage" genre might be cliche but this was chilling, perhaps because I'm a person of faith? Maybe, but my personal belief in God along with the belief that Satan/evil exists made the film's premise truly frightening to me & the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I think it's worth the watch, I recommend it.
Report
Possession meets the military industrial complex! WOW. You'd think THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE would be just a total mess but it's not. Surprisingly effective and anchored by a number of really terrific performances especially from Rya Kihlstedt as the possessed woman at the center of it. A really nice discovery.
Report
I will give this movie a 8/10 score as I thought it was a very smartly written, well directed and well filmed horror mockumentary. I will not give out spoilers for the movie to review it. The Atticus Institute is set in the mid 1970's and the fashion, photograph and video quality reflects it. This level of detail gives it an air of legitimacy.
The acting was very believable, especially by William Mapother who plays the troubled Dr. West, head of the fictional Atticus Institute. However, as a mockumentary, there could have been other details thrown in as background of some of the members interviewed in which seemed like present day. A quick background sketch of who they were as well as how they are doing now would have given a deeper look into the people affected by the movies events.
At first when I started watching it I thought it was moving along a bit slow for my tastes. Yet, the movie starts picking up and at certain points Chris Sparling, who directed as well as wrote the movie, successfully built up the tension and the pace of the movie. He did a good job of keeping me riveted to the screen, anxious of what was going to happen next. The way the actors delivered their lines in the cut away scenes of present day interviews helped me anticipate the next scene.
Chris Sparling who has also directed ATM as well as the 2010 underground sleeper hit Buried creates a stark and realistic picture of how bad the government can screw up paranormal phenomena if they were to get involved. On a rainy tuesday night when I was looking for something fresh and interesting, I was very happy I found The Atticus Institute.
Report
The Atticus Institute presents an interesting direction for possession subgenre with authentic documentary flair. The film portrayal of titular institution goes beyond average found footage gimmick, its understanding of the presentation makes it as though audience is watching real documentary from science channel. However, parts of the film aren't as consistently polished and these issues stutter the pace and occasionally derail the tension it has built.
Dr. Henry West (William Mapother) runs a small lab to research individuals said to have paranormal abilities. After a few failed endeavors, a woman named Judith Winstead (Rya Kihlstedt) is admitted to his lab. He and his colleagues have seen anything and anything like her, and the tests progress so sinisterly that eventually military is involved. Characters are pretty convincing at their roles, the use of exclusive camera footages without first hand interaction create credible effect.
The Atticus Institute offers several unnerving thrills, although the production has few technical flaws. Half of the movie is witnesses’ interviews, which sets up more psychological and scientific approach. At its best the film delivers timely bizarre occurrences that are effectively chilling. However, it doesn't pay off every time. These interviews can be tedious and predictable, especially since their testimonies alone aren't sufficient to produce tension.
At midway point it feels that characters are overly narrating, especially since the scenes they mention are only partially captured. The film also describes events with clips and still images, they are short and some even look like slideshows. While this enhances its pseudo-documentary feel, its production is shabby. Furthermore, there are fumbles on editing as well as audio clarity. These issues could've been just minor hiccups, yet they are persistent enough to hamper the movie.
The Atticus Institute has intriguing concepts, its clever style almost overcomes the genre familiarities, but ultimately the production isn't adequate enough to fully convey the suspense.
Report
