PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Every time someone or a group of people decide to awaken the supernatural, I can’t help but think of the phrase “play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” In the new supernatural horror, Queen of Spades, a group of kids play a game and find themselves in a world of horror and mayhem. The film was directed by Patrick White (read our interview with him – HERE) as well a co-written by himself and John Ainslie. The original story comes from Svyatoslav Podgaevskiy. Queen of Spades stars Ava Preston (read our interview with her – HERE), Daniel Kash, Kaelen Ohm, Eric Osborne, Jamie Bloch, Nabil Rajo, and Krista Marchand. It was produced by Brenden McNeill as well as executive produced by Michael Baker, Dave Hudakoc, and Charles Johnston.
Synopsis for Queen of Spades
According to legend, an ominous entity known as the Queen of Spades can be summoned by performing an ancient ritual. Those brave enough draw a door and a staircase on a mirror, in darkness, and say her name three times. What happens next must be experienced to be believed. Four teenagers decide to summon the Queen of Spades as a joke. But they could never imagine the horrors this innocent prank has condemned them and their loved ones to. The evil entity won’t stop until she gets their souls.
I have mixed feelings about this film. I loved the story and legend behind Queen of Spades. I loved her look, though it reminded me of entities in other films like Dead Silence and Insidious. I almost expected her to have more red to her outfit. I think that would have been awesome. I also loved it didn’t take but a minute for the Mom to believe her daughter. She had her doubt but a few scenes later she was on board, which seems to rarely happen in movies.
The performances were great. The group of friends felt natural and genuine. Ava Preston gave a wicked performance, with a rollercoaster of emotions, and had great character development. I thought the estranged relationship she had with her Mom was a bit weird and almost unnecessary. Her Mom not being around didn’t seem to point to the plot beyond that maybe if she had been around she wouldn’t have played the game… but I mean kids will be kids, right?
The special effects and makeup were great, I especially dug the gory look of the wounds on their arms. It was creepy and gross. I wanted more from the ending. It was a bit over the top and felt rushed. The twists were fun but just left me wanting more and not satisfied.
Despite its flaws, Queen of Spades is a fun, supernatural horror movie with a fun and mysterious twist on a famous legend. Queen of Spades is now available On Demand and will drop on Blu-Ray on June 29 from Dread. Do you plan on checking it out? Let us know!
