11-11-11 – Review

Author Joseph Crone (Timothy Gibbs) has been beleaguered by despair his entire life. His wife and son were burnt to death in his apartment in an inferno set by a crazed fan, he has already lost his mother, and he receives a call from his estranged brother Samuel (Michael Landes) that their father (Denis Rafter) has fallen ill and only has days to live. Joseph has been plagued by visions of the conflagration that destroyed his life and solidified his disbelief in the existence of God.

The manifestation of hooded, celestial beings who can put thoughts in your mind grow more intense as he makes his way to Barcelona, Spain to visit his family. But before arriving, he is in a jarring car accident that causes his watch to stop at 11:11. The phenomena is a belief that is related to the concept of synchronicity, and this numerological awakening forewarns him of mystical figures who on the divine day of 11-11-11 look to make their way into our world through a gateway that only opens once every century.

Like the writer that he is, Joseph keeps a journal by his side so he can jot down his thoughts. The one-time atheist is forced to believe in something as evil has come for the ultimate sacrifice that will undo what the good book that has been preaching for nearly 3,500 years. Before his demise, his father warned him that his brother was born of divine intervention, and little does Joseph realize is that his words will be his all-time best seller – the genesis of a new bible called The Book of Joseph – a tome that Samuel will teach to his congregation who believe that Jesus Christ has failed, and that it is time for a new world order according to his brother’s gospel.

I’m a true connoisseur of the sub-genre of religious horror films, and there was no better decade for the horned one than in the 1970′s. There were the big boys on the block like The Exorcist and The Omen, and the knockoffs who tried to cash in on their popularity like The Devil’s Rain. But it’s obvious that director Darren Lynn Bousman, fresh off of Saw II-IV and Mother’s Day,  is evoking Euro-Horror that was heavy on atmosphere and were just as cerebral as they were visceral . The decorative Spanish architecture is a nice juxtaposition to the bold colors that are filtered throughout most of the interior shots.

I get a kick out of flicks that take topical, hot button issues of the time and skewers them. Albert De Martino’s ’77 film Holocaust 2000 has “The Chosen” one who wants to destroy mankind using nuclear power, and leave it to Darren Lynn Bousman to take the Spirit Guardians, often called the “Midwayers” of 11:11, and turning these deities into pawns to bring forth the dawn of an age that is in no way spiritually uplifting.

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