''Totem'' is a 2017 American

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 theme ...

directed by

Marcel Sarmiento Marcel Sarmiento is a film director and writer who has created both comedy and horror films and commercials. He wrote and directed the 2007 comedy '' Heavy Petting'', co-produced and directed the 2008 horror film '' Deadgirl'', and directed a se ...

and starring

Kerris Dorsey Kerris Dorsey (born January 9, 1998) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Paige Whedon in the television series '' Brothers & Sisters'', Casey Beane, Billy Beane's daughter, in the 2011 film ''Moneyball'', and as Emily ...

, Ahna O’Reilly and

James Tupper James Tupper (born August 4, 1965) is a Canadian actor known for his roles as Jack Slattery on the ABC television series ''Men in Trees'', Dr. Chris Sands on the NBC medical drama series ''Mercy'', and David Clarke on ABC's ''Revenge''. He also s ...

. The film is written by Evan Dickson, from a story by Dickson and Sarmiento. The film is a co-production between

Blumhouse Productions Blumhouse Productions (; also known as BH Productions or simply BH) is an American film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum. It is known mainly for producing horror films, such as '' Paranormal Activity'', '' Insid ...

, Divide/Conquer and

Gunpowder & Sky Gunpowder & Sky is a Los Angeles-based independent studio that produces feature films, series, short-form content, and podcasts. The company was founded in 2016 by Van Toffler and Floris Bauer. History In January 2016 Van Toffler (former CEO o ...

. The film was released on October 31, 2017 by

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent ...

Premise

When widowed father James asks his new-age girlfriend to move in, his daughters Kellie and Abby have trouble adjusting. As things become increasingly tense, a series of unexplained occurrences leads Kellie to look for a way to use a totem to control the supernatural presence in the house.Promoted to leading lady of the house following her mother Lexy’s untimely death, 17-year-old Kellie has done a respectable job keeping together the tight trio that includes her father James and little sister Abby. For his part, James thinks it’s time to add a new face to their fold, and invites his long-term girlfriend Robin to finally move in so their family can move on. Kellie isn’t overjoyed at the interloper in their midst. Neither is the supernatural spirit suddenly haunting their home. Robin’s arrival strangely coincides with an unseen entity paying regular visits to Abby. The little girl claims it is her mother’s protective ghost. Kellie fears the spirit isn’t as benevolent as Abby innocently presumes. After recovering a necklace that belonged to Lexy, Kellie finds it is capable of causing objects in the house to move on their own. Maybe it’s her mother interacting from beyond the grave(while she was trying to escape from totem to her family). Maybe it’s something more malevolent. As the entity seemingly strengthens, it threatens to tear everyone apart through the paranormal power of the mysterious totem now in Kellie’s possession.

Cast

as Kellie * Ahna O'Reilly as Robin *

as James * Lia McHugh as Abby *

Braeden Lemasters Braeden Matthew Lemasters (born January 27, 1996) is an American actor, musician, and singer. He is best known for his role as Albert Tranelli in the TNT comedy-drama series ''Men of a Certain Age''. He has made guest appearances in several telev ...

as Todd *

Lawrence Pressman Lawrence Pressman (born David M. Pressman; July 10, 1939) is an American actor, probably best known for roles on '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', ''Ladies' Man'', a recurring role on '' Profiler'', the title character on '' Mulligan's Stew'' and as a ...

as Bernard

Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

on the film began in November 2015. Additional photography took place in December 2016.

Release

The film was shot in the 2:35:1 aspect ratio but was cropped to 1:78:1 to fit HBO/Cinemax broadcast standards. The film was released on October 31, 2017.

References

External links

*
Totem on Letterboxd
2017 horror films 2017 horror thriller films 2010s psychological horror films American horror television films American supernatural horror films American supernatural thriller films American psychological horror films American psychological thriller films Supernatural drama films American psychological drama films American horror thriller films 2010s teen horror films American horror drama films Blumhouse Productions films Cinemax original films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{US-tv-horror-film-stub