31 Days of Horror 2018: Day 19- Temple

Day 19 on our terrifying travels, and today’s journey takes us to Japan, the setting for the 2017 flick Temple. Three American tourists- Chris (Logan Huffman), Kate (Natalia Warner), and James (Brandon Tyler Sklenar)- travel to Japan for Kate to research Buddhist temples. While perusing a local shop, they come across a book that details a hidden temple near a remote village. Despite warnings not to go there, the trio naturally makes the trip, and are guided through the woods to the temple by a mysterious young boy (Yamato Tazawa). Once there, they get more than they bargained for. 7/10 stars

While boasting some creepy moments, Temple doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to a tale of a forbidden place that is visited regardless by young people who think they now better. Despite its familiarity, director Michael Barrett in his feature debut (he previously worked as a cinematographer on projects like Ted 2 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) keeps the movie interesting and moving along at a nice pace, and giving it a properly suspenseful atmosphere and even providing a couple of jump scares. The cast is likeable enough, and the script frames the film as a mystery that unravels as we go along. There are a couple of decent simple yet effective make-up effects to enjoy as well. It doesn’t offer much in the way of anything new or surprising, but it makes for an enjoyable watch. Now showing on Netflix.