When the members of a therapy group begin turning up dead by way of strange circumstances, it’s up to a detective, a cynical priest, and a handicapped photographer to re-open the cold case and catch the mysterious killer.

Eduardo Castrillo’s The Pining follows a bizarre string of deaths plaguing a local support group, and the spunky cops in hot pursuit of the supernatural killer behind them. Fate is a ticking clock for everyone involved with this band of misfits, all of whom are dealing with their own personal horrors as well as varying stages of depression. 

Caught in-between the case and the curse is the charming handicapped photographer, Joe (Diogo Hausen), who might be falling in love with his latest muse at a terrible cost. On the hunt for the truth is Detective Harris (Jackie Dallas), generously doling out witty quips, and chewing the scenery with her take-no-shit attitude. Tom Sizemore entertains as the burnt-out Father William, striving to keep his support group safe from unholy forces.

With so much promise in the multi-faceted premise Castrillo flick, you’d think The Pining would at least merit an instant add to any streamable queue. But unfortunately, the film manages to nosedive into a blunder of cluttered narrative and painfully monotone character arcs. The film’s primary problem is remaining confusing and disjointed throughout the runtime, stunting any potential for growth. Instead, the pic chooses to focus on a “who done it” essence, rather than cultivating a compelling horror hook. And then BAM, a succubus demon? A zombie? The Devil incarnate? It’s hard to tell exactly. It is hard to tell what is happening throughout most of the runtime.

The reveal at the end does make for a good moment, as do the gore-centric Final Destination inspired kills, but these elements are ultimately not enough to redeem the choppy story and filmmaking. And you, dear reader, should know…there’s a post-credits scene, and it sadly doesn’t feature Samuel L. Jackson.