supernatural horror film
Supernatural horror film is a film genre that combines aspects of horror film and supernatural film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often include ghosts and demons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common them ...
directed by
Kevin Greutert
Kevin Greutert (born March 31, 1965) is an American film director, film editor and writer, best known for his work on the ''Saw'' film series, as well as character-based supernatural horrors. He is married to actress Elizabeth Rowin.
Career ...
and written by
Ben Garant
Robert Ben Garant (born September 14, 1970), credited earlier in his career as Ben Garant, is an American screenwriter, producer, director, actor and comedian. He has a long professional relationship with Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver ...
. The film stars
Sarah Snook
Sarah Snook (born 1 December 1987) is an Australian actress. She is known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the television series '' Succession'' (2018–present), for which she earned critical acclaim in international media. She has won sev ...
Joelle Carter
Joelle Marie Carter (born October 10, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for playing Ava Crowder in the FX series '' Justified''.
Early life
Carter was born in Thomasville, Georgia. Her father, Jimmy,David Andrews,
Amber Stevens
Amber Dawn Stevens West is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Ashleigh Howard in the ABC Family series ''Greek'' (2007–2011)'','' Maxine in the NBC sitcom ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017), and Claire Davis in the CBS ...
, and
Ana de la Reguera
Anabell Gardoqui de la Reguera (; born 8 April 1977) is a Mexican actress. She has starred in telenovelas, films, the HBO television series '' Eastbound & Down'' and ''Capadocia'', the Amazon television series '' Goliath'', and the 2006 comedy ' ...
. The film was released 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 ...
on November 7, 2014.
Plot
The pregnant Jessabelle "Jessie" Laurent (
Sarah Snook
Sarah Snook (born 1 December 1987) is an Australian actress. She is known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the television series '' Succession'' (2018–present), for which she earned critical acclaim in international media. She has won sev ...
) is about to move to her fiancé, Mark's (
Brian Hallisay
Brian Hallisay (born October 31, 1978) is an American actor, known for his roles as Will Davis in the CW drama series '' Privileged'' and Kyle Parks in the Lifetime drama series ''The Client List''. He starred on the television series '' Reveng ...
) house when their car is hit by a
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
just when they are backing up their car from the driveway, killing Mark and causing Jessie's miscarriage. Two months afterward, Jessie, who now uses a wheelchair, moves in with her estranged father, Leon ( David Andrews) in
St. Francisville, Louisiana
St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,765 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 1,589 at the 2020 population estimates program. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan ...
. She resides in her mother's former bedroom. Her mother, Kate, died due to a
brain tumor
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...
shortly after she was born, with Leon subsequently leaving her to be raised by her aunt.
One day, Jessie finds a box containing four videotapes shot by Kate (
Joelle Carter
Joelle Marie Carter (born October 10, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for playing Ava Crowder in the FX series '' Justified''.
Early life
Carter was born in Thomasville, Georgia. Her father, Jimmy,tarot reading
Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards to purportedly gain insight into the past, present or future. They formulate a question, then draw cards to interpret them for this end. A traditional tarot deck con ...
about
Death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
that tells of a transition, taught to her by a friend whom she met at a local church. Kate warns that an unwanted presence is haunting Jessie, a reading that turns out to be true, as Jessie feels that a gaunt black-haired woman (
Amber Stevens
Amber Dawn Stevens West is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Ashleigh Howard in the ABC Family series ''Greek'' (2007–2011)'','' Maxine in the NBC sitcom ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017), and Claire Davis in the CBS ...
) is haunting her ever since she moved back into her father's house. Jessie also has a vivid dream where she is strapped to a bed by her mother and witnesses a
voodoo
Voodoo may refer to:
Religions
* African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups
* African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo
** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...
ritual being conducted, where blood flowing into a breathing machine chokes her. Leon repeatedly tries to dissuade Jessie from watching the tapes by breaking the first one and throwing Jessie's wheelchair into the
bayou
In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
.
One day, Jessie has a frightening encounter in the bathtub with the same woman during a
physical therapy
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...
session. After lifting Jessie onto Kate's old wheelchair, Leon coerces her physical therapist into leaving the house. After telling Jessie that the Kate in the tapes is not her mother due to the tumors she had, Leon attempts to burn all of the tapes, but a supernatural force burns him alive inside the yard shed.
During Leon's funeral, Jessie reunites with her high school friend, Preston Sanders ( Mark Webber), but collapses after she sees a severely burned man (Vaughan Wilson). After Preston leaves from tending to Jessie, she watches the third tape, which was focused on Leon and Kate in an outing and their
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
party with the announcement of the latter's pregnancy, and the fourth tape, in which it focused on the foretold tarot readings and Kate tearfully shouting "You're dead!" before the footage cut off. After watching the tape, Jessie notices the woman behind her in the mirror. The mirror then shatters, and Jessie discovers a small secret compartment holding a tape (that wasn't found in the box) with no label on it that she opts not to watch. The next day, Jessie and Preston head across a nearby
bayou
In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
, which Jessie has been suspicious of since observing glittering light and flames appearing there. The two discover voodoo icons and effects, as well as a grave of "Jessabelle" with a baby's skeleton, dated on Jessie's birthday, which they turn over to Sheriff Pruitt ( Chris Ellis) for
DNA testing
Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...
. Jessie and Preston then visit the house of Mrs. Davis (
Fran Bennett
Fran Bennett (August 14, 1937 – September 11, 2021) was an American actress, known for her works in theater and on television. She portrayed the role of Mother Olivia Jefferson in a re-creation of the pilot episode of ''The Jeffersons'' in ' ...
), the mother of one of their friends and the Laurents' former family cook, who speaks about Moses Harper, Kate's aforementioned friend from her church mentioned in the second tape. Thinking that Moses may be involved in the supernatural occurrences, the two head to Moses' voodoo shrine in a ruined church, but are attacked by a group of men who force them to leave.
The two return to Jessie's home where Preston confesses that, despite being married, he is in love with Jessie. Preston offers to let Jessie live with his mother, which she accepts. Just before Jessie can finish her packing; Preston is attacked by the ghostly woman and knocked unconscious.
Now left alone, Jessie conducts a ritual to summon the woman. After the ritual, Jessie is called by Pruitt, who informs her that the baby was Kate's daughter, but not Leon's. She plays the blank tape where it presents Kate casting a voodoo enchantment on a newborn white girl and committing
suicide by gunshot
A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brai ...
, not before tearfully shouting that Jessabelle and her father Moses are dead, attempting to suffocate the infant girl with a pillow, and changing her mind to conduct the incantation. Jessie is confronted by Kate's spirit and realizes the truth that her "father" was hiding from her: the video tapes filmed were for Jessabelle, who was the daughter of Kate and Moses as the product of an
interracial
Interracial topics include:
* Interracial marriage, marriage between two people of different races
** Interracial marriage in the United States
*** 2009 Louisiana interracial marriage incident
* Interracial adoption, placing a child of one raci ...
affair at the same church mentioned in the second tape. Jessabelle was killed on the night of her birth, along with her father, by Leon. On that night, Leon scolded Kate for being unfaithful, picked up Jessabelle from her crib and snapped her spine in half. After Kate laments as she holds her daughter's now-lifeless body, Leon pushed a
baby carriage
Various methods of transporting children have been used in different cultures and times. These methods include baby carriages (prams in British English), infant car seats, portable bassinets (carrycots), strollers (pushchairs), slings, backpacks ...
carrying her lifeless body and a
porcelain doll
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainly ...
inside into the bayou, weighing it down with stones to prevent it from resurfacing. Leon then drove up to Kate and Moses' church where he shot Moses and set the building ablaze, leaving Moses for dead in the burning church. Jessie realizes that ''she'' is the unwanted presence, being the newborn white girl adopted by Leon on that same night to cover up the murders.
Swearing revenge, Kate and Moses planned to transfer Jessabelle's spirit to Jessie. Jessie is pushed by Kate and Moses' spirits towards the bayou and into it, where the
biracial
Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...
spirit of Jessabelle swims up and takes her mother's bracelet, resurfacing back in the same white physical body of Jessie. Preston jumps in to save her and she kisses him and asks him to take her home. When Pruitt asks "Miss Laurent" if she is all right, she replies "It's Jessabelle".
Cast
*
Sarah Snook
Sarah Snook (born 1 December 1987) is an Australian actress. She is known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the television series '' Succession'' (2018–present), for which she earned critical acclaim in international media. She has won sev ...
Joelle Carter
Joelle Marie Carter (born October 10, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for playing Ava Crowder in the FX series '' Justified''.
Early life
Carter was born in Thomasville, Georgia. Her father, Jimmy,Ana de la Reguera
Anabell Gardoqui de la Reguera (; born 8 April 1977) is a Mexican actress. She has starred in telenovelas, films, the HBO television series '' Eastbound & Down'' and ''Capadocia'', the Amazon television series '' Goliath'', and the 2006 comedy ' ...
as Rosaura
*
Amber Stevens
Amber Dawn Stevens West is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Ashleigh Howard in the ABC Family series ''Greek'' (2007–2011)'','' Maxine in the NBC sitcom ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017), and Claire Davis in the CBS ...
as Jessabelle / Dead Girl
*
Larisa Oleynik
Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (; born June 7, 1981) is an American actress who became a teen idol in the 1990s.
Born in Santa Clara and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Oleynik began her career as a child actor, first appearing ...
Brian Hallisay
Brian Hallisay (born October 31, 1978) is an American actor, known for his roles as Will Davis in the CW drama series '' Privileged'' and Kyle Parks in the Lifetime drama series ''The Client List''. He starred on the television series '' Reveng ...
as Mark
*
Lucius Baston
Lucius Baston is an American actor from Queens, New York. He is known for best known for his roles in ''Atlanta'', ''Lovecraft Country'' and '' The Underground Railroad''.
Early life
The younger of two boys, Baston started entertaining at the ...
as Mr. Woods
* Jason Davis as Surgeon
* Vaughan Wilson as Moses Harper
*
Karen Strassman
Karen Strassman (born June 5 is an American stage, television and voice actress who has provided English language voices for Japanese anime shows, animation, and video games. Some of her major roles are Kallen Stadtfeld in the ''Code Geass'' seri ...
as Additional Dead Girl Vocals
Production
Greutert was approached to direct ''Jessabelle'' a year after the release of ''
Saw 3D
''Saw 3D'' (also known as ''Saw: The Final Chapter'') is a 2010 American 3D horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sequel to 2009's ''Saw VI'' and seventh installment in the ''Saw'' f ...
'' and, after reading through the script, agreed to direct. Filming was initially meant to take place in Louisiana, where the film is set, but was forced to move to
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...
after no appropriate filming location could be located. in April 2012, it was reported
Amber Stevens
Amber Dawn Stevens West is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Ashleigh Howard in the ABC Family series ''Greek'' (2007–2011)'','' Maxine in the NBC sitcom ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017), and Claire Davis in the CBS ...
,
Ana de la Reguera
Anabell Gardoqui de la Reguera (; born 8 April 1977) is a Mexican actress. She has starred in telenovelas, films, the HBO television series '' Eastbound & Down'' and ''Capadocia'', the Amazon television series '' Goliath'', and the 2006 comedy ' ...
,
Sarah Snook
Sarah Snook (born 1 December 1987) is an Australian actress. She is known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the television series '' Succession'' (2018–present), for which she earned critical acclaim in international media. She has won sev ...
Greutert edited the film on his own and initially the film was slated to release on January 10, 2014,
The film was later pushed back to an August 29 release date before it was given a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
and
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
release on November 7.
Reception
Critical reception for ''Jessabelle'' has been mixed to negative, and the film holds a 28% "rotten" rating on ''
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
'' (based on 36 reviews). The consensus reads, "''Jessabelle'' hints at a bright future for star Sarah Snook, but clouds her performance with a clichéd—and tasteless—storyline."
Justin Chang wrote in ''Variety'', "Making atmospheric use of the Louisiana locations, Michael Fimognari’s digital lensing alternates nicely between pleasingly sun-drenched exteriors and sewer-toned nighttime interiors," but concluded, "novel twists and effective scares prove few and far between in this ludicrous bayou gothic." Sheila O'Mally wrote, "Steeped in Southern Gothic melodrama, ''Jessabelle'' is interesting in some of the small details, and in its strong sense of the Louisiana bayou atmosphere, and then it completely falls apart when it starts being a horror film. In ''The New York Post'', Sarah Stewart called the film, " occasionally shivery, (but) overly familiar. ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' and ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' both panned the film, with ''IGN'' stating that "''Jessabelle's'' familiar trickery and repetitive screams sucks the life out of a promising Southern bayou atmosphere." Jordan Hoffman wrote in ''The New York Daily News'', "There are few scares here, but plenty of mild grossness. The absurd ending ties up the mystery in a way that’s sure to annoy both supernaturalists and realists." Alan Scherstuhl wrote in ''Village Voice'', "There's a couple fine (but gratingly shriek-y) ghost scares, and some grandly ripe (and dopily predictable) VHS messages from beyond the grave. But the mystery drags, its clues never really registering — they just accumulate, along with hints of backstory, a laundry-like pile you would prefer not to deal with but will have to sort through eventually."
''
Fangoria
''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.
The magazine was originally released i ...
'' was somewhat more positive in their review, writing "If the buildup is more satisfying than the payoff, ''Jessabelle'' remains a creditable attempt to do something a little different and down-to-Earth on the paranormal scene."