Where to begin? The Burned Over District has a lot going on. It’s best to go in without knowing everything ahead. This film really took the “lets throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” approach. It actually ends up making a more entertaining watch because of it. Entertaining doesn’t always mean it’s good, though. Sometimes you can be entertained by something that isn’t actually all that great.

After a husband loses his wife in an awful car accident, he is understandably devastated. Comfort from his abrasive mother does little to sooth him though his sister is far more compassionate. While out hunting to clear his mind, he comes across a seemingly bottomless pit. After his neighbor shares some history of the location, he begins to notice strange things around the house. Soon him and his sister are unwillingly pulled into a local cult and their plans that may or may not involve an ancient being.

If anything, the actors at least give it their all, even if they sometimes seem as confused as the viewer. Will Pleasance (John Harvey Sheedy) does well enough, especially when you consider that this is only his second role. He is convincing in his grief and loss though a bit wooden everywhere else. Still not that worst. Katie Pleasance (Amy Zubieta) is also a mixed bag. While the scenes of heartbreak and hopelessness are well acted, the rest of the performance is okay. The rest of the cast does alright, not great but not bad, just alright.

On the more technical side of things, the film does okay. Visually, the film is mostly well-lit enough to know what’s going on. However, there are some scenes that are too dark to see anything clearly. This can be frustrating for viewers who want to see every detail of the film. The audio quality is much better than the rest of the film. It’s clear and well-balanced, and it really makes a difference in the overall experience. The editing is one of the drawbacks, the cuts can be rough and jarring. This could also be a biproduct of so much stuff being crammed into a film that doesn’t have the runtime to match.

The Burned Over District can be surprisingly brutal in terms of content and violence, without being exploitative or too over the top. Much like this review, the movie is all over the place. I found it interesting but not great. It had a lot of ideas and moving pieces but with everything spread so thin, nothing really had a chance to shine. If trimmed down and given a bit more time, it could have gone from being an okay hodgepodge of a movie to something legitimately good and memorable.

7 out of 10