As a huge fan of stories within the realm of exorcism, demons, and cults, I had high hopes for Baphomet. Despite an interesting premise, there are too many missing pieces, and it lacks the necessary qualities to leave a lasting impression.
Baphomet is the story of the Richardson family, who are celebrating their daughter Rebecca’s (Rebecca Weaver) pregnancy. While she’s visiting her parents, her father, Jacob (Colin Ward), is visited by a man named Aksel Brandr (Stephen Brodie).
Aksel informs Jacob that his father, Henrik (Giovanni Lombardo Radice), would like to purchase the Richardson’s home and land. Jacob becomes defensive and informs Brandr that the property is not for sale, as it’s cherished by his family. After refusing the offer, terrible events befall the Richardsons. This leads to a battle between their family and Brandr’s Satanic cult.
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The opening scene is ominous and sets a creepy tone. We’re shown the cult in action during a sacrificial ceremony. Unfortunately, the flick does not deliver following this somewhat promising introduction.
The biggest issue is the lack of development in the story and characters. When Jacob meets with Aksel, we’re never given any indication that he knows the Brandr family or their reputation. Yet, he immediately becomes heated over the proposition to buy his land. If there’s a history there, the viewer doesn’t know it. This makes Jacob’s reaction seem over-the-top and out of place for an initial meeting.
Things almost immediately become chaotic for the family, as Brandr’s cult curses them. Even for a cult of evildoers, this seems a bit extreme. There were no further attempts at negotiation or buildup of tension before going off the deep end. This is a bit difficult to swallow as a viewer. The “accidents” which befall the Richardson family would be much more impactful with additional time for character development and building tension.
Don’t get me wrong—I often appreciate a bit of action from the get-go, but in this instance it goes off the rails too soon and fails to come back to the meat of the story. As a horror fan, I’m used to suspending disbelief. However, there was too much that went wrong. I found myself questioning the characters’ decisions on multiple occasions. So many outrageous events occur within the first thirty minutes. Because of this, I wondered what could possibly fill the remainder of time in the film.
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There are some gruesome, cringe-worthy death scenes that will satisfy gore-seeking viewers. These sequences are creative and unique. I appreciate that the kills weren’t carbon copies of what I’ve seen in previous films within the sub-genre. The fast pace of the feature keeps things going, but that lingering question of how it ramped up so quickly was a constant distraction for me.
The film has a relatively short run time. It clocks in at approximately 72 minutes, and this might be part of the issue with the story development. There’s a lot of room to add more backstory through dialogue and character interactions. Had the film been longer and included more of these features, it would’ve increased the believability and connection. Ultimately this one didn’t work for me, as it lacked the substance needed to make a memorable film experience.
Baphomet is available on VOD and DVD/Blu-Ray as of June 8.
WICKED RATING: 3/10
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