''Artifacts'' is a 2007

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by Giles Daoust and Emmanuel Jespers and starring

Mary Stockley Mary Stockley is a British stage, television and film actress. A former member of the National Youth Music Theatre, Stockley studied drama at university. She made her first television appearance in 2001 in the TV film '' Being Dom Joly'', in 2002, ...

and Felix Scott. It was released in the United States by

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

films.

Plot

Kate (

) is a

workaholic A workaholic is a person who works compulsively. A workaholic experiences an inability to limit the amount of time they spend on work despite negative consequences such as damage to their relationships or health. There is no generally accepted ...

with a failing relationship with her boyfriend. One night after falling asleep she dreams of one of her friends being thrown from a building by an unseen

assailant An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

. The

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

come to her the next day and reveal to her that her friend has, in fact, died. Kate, for a moment begins to wonder if she is responsible. She then realizes that it was not she who killed her friend, but her friend's double. One by one Kate's friends are hunted downed and killed with strange ' artifacts' removed from their bodies by their attackers. Kate then teams up with her boyfriend in hopes that they can escape the same fate.

Accolades

Released in the US under

DVDs, ''Artifacts'' had very little (if any)

fanfare A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perfo ...

. A trailer was created and was printed on most of Lionsgate's then current releases. ''Artifacts'' has received four

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

awards: 'Official Selection at the

Hollywood Film Festival The Hollywood Film Festival is an annual film festival that takes place in Los Angeles, California, USA. History The Hollywood Film Festival was established in 1997 by author and producer Carlos de Abreu and his wife, model Janice Pennington.Pete ...

', 'Winner of the Platinum Award at the Worldfest Houston International Independent Film Festival', 'Official Selection at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film', and 'Official Selection at

Fantasporto Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to Fantasy film, fantasy/Science fiction film, science fiction/Horror film, horror-oriented commercial fe ...

Critical reception

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

praised the film, noting good

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

and a "compelling" unbloated

plot Plot or Plotting may refer to: Art, media and entertainment * Plot (narrative), the story of a piece of fiction Music * ''The Plot'' (album), a 1976 album by jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava * The Plot (band), a band formed in 2003 Other * ''Plot' ...

while criticising its open-ended

ambiguous Ambiguity is the type of meaning (linguistics), meaning in which a phrase, statement or resolution is not explicitly defined, making several interpretations wikt:plausible#Adjective, plausible. A common aspect of ambiguity is uncertainty. It ...

ending, and rated it "highly recommended". DVD Verdict was less keen, saying "there's not much happening here", praising the acting and visuals while criticising the plot.

Dread Central Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...

gave the film 3/5, calling it "good for a quick watch" but "forgettable", and giving the DVD special features, a documentary

featurette In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film. Medium-length film ...

on the making of the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, 1/5. Cinema Fantastique gave it 2/5, finding the

scenario In the performing arts, a scenario (, ; ; ) is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the ''commedia dell'arte'', it was an outline of entrances, exits, and action describing the plot of a play, and was literally pi ...

simplistic and the

film direction A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

repetitive.Damien Taymans
"Artefacts"
Cinema Fantastique

References

External links

* * https://web.archive.org/web/20111007014715/http://www.brutalashell.com/2009/01/dvd-review-artifacts/ * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219820/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Artifacts 2007 films Belgian horror films 2007 horror films 2000s English-language films English-language Belgian films