An RLJE Films Picture, Written by Cameron Burns, Keith Lansdale, Aaron B. Koontz, Directed by Aaron B. Koontz.
After a botched train robbery, two brothers leading a gang of cowboys must survive the night in a ghost town inhabited by a coven of witches. The Pale Door is a fascinating mix of the classic outlaw western, and of horror focused on witchcraft, and even if the result is not always consistent, these two genres being merged together will always make for interesting viewing.
Reuniting years after the brutal killing of their parents, young bartender Jake (Devin Druid) joins brother Duncan (Zachary Knighton) and his outlaw gang for a big heist, but things get incredibly complicated when they discover a girl, Pearl (Natasha Bassett), in a box. Eventually she leads them ‘home’ to a brothel, where they very quickly discover all is not well, and have to fight for their lives as this group of centuries old witch’s attack.
The different plot strands eventually come together as the characters understand why they are in the position they are in, and how events of the past have led to it. The relationship between the brothers is presented as the key emotional force, especially at the beginning and end of the movie, but not enough is done to fully develop that bond to really make the ending as emotionally impactful as it should have been. However, the characters themselves are interesting and you do find yourself engaged by them.
The most impressive member of the cast is Natasha Bassett as Pearl, who stars the film as a seemingly innocent victim but quickly becomes manipulative and outright evil. Bassett has a really engaging screen presence, and the film makes a real error by side-lining her in the second half in favour of less interesting actors. I look forward to what she does in the future.
A stand out sequence takes place in the brothel as multiple members of the gang are in individual rooms and believe they are all about to have their way with the women, as the reveal that they are witches is gradually shown and the danger the men are in becomes clear. This then all escalates quickly into an all-out battle for survival, and it is a scene that manages to successfully mix feelings of horror, mystery, and humour, to get a strong outcome.
The film tries really hard to build up a tense and creepy atmosphere, and in many ways it succeeds. You get sucked in to the mystery of the witches and what they want, and it does feel very much like a real coven. However, operating as a horror film, it is simply not scary enough, and while the atmosphere is good, the scares don’t land and it leaves things feeling slightly lacklustre.
One of the really impressive technical aspects of the film is the make-up to turn the actresses in to convincing versions of the full burned witches as they attack. They look both completely horrifying but also stripped down enough to feel real. It really adds to the film and alongside the strong costume design, really does a lot of the heavy lifting for the film and makes it feel more impressive and ambitious.
Overall, the film has some bright spots and is a solid watch over a reasonably short runtime, but it doesn’t re-invent the wheel in anyway. For fans of the genre, I think there is more than enough here to get some enjoyment out of it.
Rating = 3/5
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