Hidden Gem Recommendation: The Taking of Deborah Logan

The Taking of Deborah Logan is a found footage possession movie from 2014 about a documentary film crew that spends some time with an Alzheimer's patient named Deborah Logan and her daughter Sarah.  Their purpose is to make a film about Deborah's disease, but they soon learn that she's afflicted by something much worse than just a neurological disorder.

Much like Relic from earlier this year, this film does a great job of depicting Alzheimer's and integrating it seamlessly with the supernatural.  Not only does it portray the disease accurately (my grandmother died from Alzheimer's, and much of what Deborah does in this movie reminds me of my family's experiences), but it also blurs the line between Alzheimer's and possession.  Up until the third act, you're never quite sure if Deborah's strange behavior is due to her illness or to supernatural forces, and that makes for an intriguing twist on the possession subgenre.

Along similar lines, the movie also eschews the traditional demon possession storyline that we've seen a million times since The Exorcist, instead giving you an original mythology and background to Deborah's affliction.  She's not just possessed by a demon who enjoys being a jerk for its own sake.  No, there's a specific reason why this supernatural force is targeting her, and the movie does a great job of slowly unraveling that mystery as the film goes on.

All of this works so well largely because of actress Jill Larson's performance as Deborah.  She does a fantastic job of portraying both an Alzheimer patient and a possession victim, sometimes simultaneously.  Up until the movie goes full-on supernatural, you can never quite tell if she's trying to act possessed or just ill.  In particular, she really excels at being calm but having a look of pure evil on her face.  Even without saying a word or moving a muscle, there are times when she just looks wrong, and that's as creepy as anything else in the film.

And speaking of creepy things, the scares in this movie are really well done too.  Director Adam Robitel takes full advantage of both the blurred line between Alzheimer's and possession and Jill Larson's ability to play both afflictions perfectly.  He knows when to be subtle and when to be more in your face; he knows when to have things jump out from the shadows and when to sit back and just let the creepy atmosphere work on its own.  Simply put, this guy knows how to make a horror movie, and it shows.

The only real issue I had with the film is that in a couple of scenes set in dark rooms, you can't help but wonder why the characters don't just turn the lights on.  That's admittedly a bit of a nitpick, and it by no means ruins the movie, but it's noticeable enough that it does take you out of those scenes a tiny bit.

Despite that one flaw, though, this is still a really good movie.  It has good acting, good scares, and most importantly, an intriguing twist on your basic possession storyline.  It's refreshing to see such an original film in such an overdone subgenre, so if you're a fan of supernatural horror in general or possession films in particular, you should definitely check out The Taking of Deborah Logan.  You do not want to miss this one.