User Reviews

And, yes I've read many of the other reviews, and I can understand why there is some confusion, but I tend to watch films (and read books) with the thought that there is nothing the director (or author) shows or tells the audience that is without purpose.

First point: the film opens with a close up shot of Annie's eye. Nice, green eye. One of her eyes is up close again later in the film ... again, green. There are two other spots where eyes are shown to the audience ... one when the man in the cellar is shot (nice green eyes), and again at the close of the film, when another man's eye is seen through a peep hole. Decidedly not green.

So, it could be that Annie got her eye color from her mother, and the man in the cellar was her uncle (mom's crazy serial killer brother ... maybe), or it could be that the man in the cellar was actually her father, or possibly both.

As to the name "Judas" ... there were some who were confused by that. As our heroine is doing internet research, she finds that the "Judas Killer" was called that because he called himself that. He signed his notes "Judas."

We also know that the mother, her friend, and her mother's brother, were all involved in their church. Now, why might a very religious serial killer refer to himself as "Judas"? Maybe because, in the Christian religion, Judas is the betrayer of all that is held sacred.

The original Judas Killer (from the research done by Annie) had only 7 known victims ... all killed between 1968 and 1969. Jennifer Glick was born about that time. She isn't murdered until 1989. She is said to be 20 years old at the time of her death.

Second Judas Killer appears to be operating around 1989, right around the time that Annie is born and Jennifer is killed. If you look closely at the photo of the decapitated Jennifer, there is no blood pool except around her neck ... so if she was pregnant, the baby probably died with her.

Suppose for a moment that the original Judas Killer was Annie's grandfather, the father of her mother and of Charles Barlow. He is a serial killer and raises his children to be very sick puppies. He prefers to kill couples (according to the internet account), while the second Judas Killer (probably Charles Barlow) likes to kill young women, including his seventh (and possibly last) victim, Jennifer Glick.

Note that the map of Judas's known victims shows seven skulls, but skulls that do not correspond to the list and locations of the original Judas Killer's victims. These are seven rather widely spaced killings of individuals rather than couples.

So, we have two serial killers, about 20 years apart. Charles Barlow is, I think, the son of the original Judas Killer. I think the pact was a family pact, kept by the original Judas and his children, and that the children helped dad with later killings (including Jennifer), or carried them out for their father.

I also think that Charles Barlow went to ground at the time of Jennifer's killing because he (or dad) had hit a little too close to home by killing a woman who was known to the Barlows. Someone might have put things together ... so Annie and Nichole's "dad" just disappeared (under the floorboards). Mom closed the room up and put in the peep holes so that he could see his little family. She probably stuck them in the closet so she could spend time with her brother (and perhaps her father ... who I think was still alive and down in the basement with his son).

Which leaves us with the last set of eyes. A blue/gray eye of a man of an age that is difficult to determine. It is entirely possible that this is the eye of the original Judas, still down there somewhere.

Plot holes? Yes ... absolutely. I can't imagine that any portion of that house would be left standing after having a murdered cop in the basement. It would have been torn up basement and all, not just had the furniture moved out. But, it is the same house, same wallpaper, same everything.

However, I like that a lot is left to the imagination, even for someone like me who tends to go back through portions of a movie frame by frame (to read the material that only flashes on the screen for a second, including Annie's journal which adds another layer to the concoction.

In any event, I did enjoy it, and will probably watch it again to see if my opinion changes regarding the plot. Holes and all.

Pardon any typos.

"Scariest film of the year" is proudly proclaimed over the trailers. Really? I've seen Disney films that have disturbed me more. This film is truly awful. The plot is paper thin, you don't care about the characters, there are gaping plot holes and the ending makes no logical sense. I can honestly say there was only one part that made me jump just a little. The rest of the time I found my attention wandering. People who have given this film more than one star must be REALLY easily impressed. It makes no sense for a start. Two people go missing in the house yet the police feel that a 5 minute glance around the premises (which we're told about but don't see) is enough. In real life the house would be swarming with them. The title of the film also makes little sense at first glance. There's no obvious 'Pact' and other reviewers have also be puzzled by this. I only now realise it the pact the mother had to protect her fruit loop, serial killer brother. I can totally understand how this can be missed though. Ridiculous.

In recent years, there have been a few movies which have experimented with the slow burn style. Often the secret is to create something that will last in your mind for days.

I wouldn't say the Pact reaches that level. But as a creepy slow burn movie which does make an impact for a short period of time, it does its job. The one thing I did like about the movie was the slow progression and the evolution of the plot. It quickly changes from standard supernatural fare to something else. And it takes its time to do so, the change is not abrupt or irritating.

The central character of Annie is also quite interesting and she doesn't really conform to stereotypes. There is no annoying romance subplot, it is just a creepy film throughout. One thing I didn't like was maybe the actress clothes in certain scenes which I felt were a little inappropriate and distracting for a movie of this type. Also I would have preferred a more natural looking woman for such a role. But I guess you can't blame her for being good looking, she has done a pretty good job for the character.

It was pretty much a movie which was right down my alley with many quiet an creepy moments(in Japanese horror style) and no big jump scares. And to add to that, there are not many scenes of violence. Yes there are a few gory moments but they don't have a pornographic quality and they are appropriate for the movie. The last shot is weird but I think that is common for horror films especially nowadays.

I still think even with the creepiness, it doesn't really have a long lasting effect like some other movies that come to mind(maybe Kill list). But still a decent horror film to pass the time.

While there are a couple of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, this film was fundamentally one of the most poorly composed films I've ever seen. Lots of elements in this film went unexplained and unaddressed. Poor writing, in my estimation. Egregious use of "deus ex machina" to avoid having to explain / give back history to people / places / events in the film.

WARNING: Numerous spoilers from here down, so don't read if you're planning on watching the film.

There are a host of unexplained elements in this film: What did the mother do to the daughters in the closet? What was her role in the hidden room / her brother? Surely the mother was his accomplice in the crimes, as she gave the murdered girl's cross to her daughter; like a serial-killer's trophy... so she had to know what her brother was... so why don't we get an explanation? How did he come to occupy the room? What was his back history / story? Why didn't he kill the girls so many years ago? Why is he in his mid to late 60's but looks like he's in his late 30's with abs and pecs like an athlete? Why does he always sit on the edge of the bed and cry? Honestly, this film felt like a director loaded a bunch of unrelated horror-film elements into the barrel of a shotgun, squeezed the trigger, and shot them in scatter-fashion out onto the silver screen. I have a hard time imagining anyone could be scared of this film, as no one could understand what was actually going on in the film.

Overall, a big disappointment. The film was nothing like the teasers / trailers suggested.

This is not your standard ghost story, but a ghost story with a wicked twist! A daughter has came back home for her very abusive mother's funeral. She is staying in her mother's house when strange events begin to happen. Things falling off the walls. Someone touching her that is not there. Crazy vivid dreams. A mysterious blonde woman who materializes from thin air. Her sister & cousin comes up missing in the house. Yes, this all sounds like typical overused & abused haunted house clichés, but their done very convincingly, with good direction, strong acting, & a strong soundtrack, that adds a good amount of ghostly dreadful suspense.

"The Pact" is a hybrid film of two genres. I won't go into details for it would ruin the story. In some ways it reminds me of "the Entity," especially it's soundtrack. It also reminds me of "Silence of the Lambs" & "What Lies Beneath." OK, maybe to much information, but that's all I'm giving away.

You could do a lot worse than to check out this good little indie horror film, though flawed, it is a different breed of a ghost story, which is a rare ghost indeed in the huge cemetery of forgotten ghost films.

I came across this title while watching the previews of a different film, and I thought it might be at the very least something to help pass the time. The last film that I saw that was actually able to make me jump to the edge of my seat with anticipation was Insidious, and since then it's been one disappointment after another.

I am very big cinema fan. I love originality in characters, plot, reactions and I don't put all my faith into films with a lot of special effects. The special effects cannot make a film, it is a contributing factor, which some filmmakers fail to remember, characters, plot and believability in what is taking place on screen, which includes the actors ability to make you believe that they are that person and not just someone looking to make a paycheck, are what I feel make a film great.

What I thought was going to be another haunted house, poltergeist, ghost movie turned out to be just that. A film about a person being haunted by the spirit of a murder victim, the fact that that person is related to the murderer is nothing new to cinema. There is even a little mystery as to what exactly the relationship is to the murderer, as well as the relationship between the two sisters, which I questioned because of the latter matter I mentioned. Yet the actresses and actors are what make this movie actually worth watching.

Caity Lotz is not a widely known actress, in fact I had never heard of her before watching this film, which is a very smart move, going with an unknown lead actress allows the film to shine, rather than the focus being on the name that's playing in the film. Indeed all of the actors and actresses are b actors at best. Casper van Dien hasn't done many big budget films, or I should say big scale films, since his supporting role in Sleepy Hollow, in which he was the hunky handsome rival with Johnny Depp's strange and science-driven character for Christina Ricci's character.

The characters are beautifully played because they are so believable. Agnes Bruckner plays a recovering addict that got clean for the sake of her daughter, who plays such a minimal part in the film that it was refreshing that it wasn't about a child communicating with the dead, a daughter from an emotionally and physically, perhaps even psychologically abusive relationship with her mother, a past she shared with her sister. We know that their mother dies, and Caity's character, hoping to maintain her estrangement to her past refuses to return to the site of her abuse, and pretend to be a grieving daughter to the mother that ruined her childhood, which is a very understandable reaction that many could relate to. Yet she returns when she hears no one can find her sister, whom she originally believes to have relapsed into her drug habit.

Once she arrives at the house, strange things begin to happen, after the police practically accuse her of being involved in the disappearance of her sister and her cousin as well as being crazy, she turns to a girl she went to school with that was rumored to have been able to communicate with the dead. Haley Hudson, is so unique in her performance as a medium, she is obviously not all there mentally, although with the appearance of her home life, as well as the menacing behavior of her brother, it is unclear whether this is caused by her gift, a mental affliction, or a possible use of drugs.

However, I was still left with many questions at the end of the movie. "The Pact" I find this title very confusing, because there is no explanation of a a pact being made, maybe the mom made the pact to protect her murdering brother? Maybe the sisters made a pact to always be there for the other, maybe Annie made a pact to herself to find out what happened to her sister, or to take care of her niece. Another question unanswered, how was the brother able to live under the house undetected for several years, even while the sisters were living there? Why weren't the sisters perceptible to the fact that there was obviously something missing from the house, like a hidden room. Was Judas aware that he had murdered his niece, did he murder his sister? Was it possible that there was an incestuous relationship between the mother and her brother that resulted in her pregnancy with the younger daughter, they all three had the same set of discolored eyes. What happened to the child that Jennifer Glick was carrying, was it possibly one of the sisters? Or was she killed while pregnant?

I was left with all these questions so that is why I gave it a 7/10. There were some plot holes, and what the? moments that I found rather foreseeable and predictable. Yet still a movie I do not recommend passing up, it still gives a few good jumps and scares.

According to the DVD box this is the scariest film of the year. Presumably 2012 which was full of disappointing horror films but The Pact was ironically one of the least scariest. In fact it's not actually scary at all and rather dull. Relying on the usual haunted house gimmicks which were once scary but nowadays aren't, as well as a storyline that is incredibly boring and stupid with a twist ending that is one of the most cinematically idiotic ever conceived.

What is the Pact? Well there isn't one really it's just someones idea of a cool title that does not actually mean anything. Rather like 'based on a true story' which means that there is an actual country where the action takes place but other than that it's made up nonsense.

Someone disappears in mysterious circumstances and some woman relative on a motorbike appears and after a traumatic experience with what seems like a ghost she rushes to the police. Nobody believes her but a detective who was the bloke from Starship Troopers (who ironically has the name of a famous ghost) who for no sensible reason other than he vaguely knew of the woman who disappeared as she got in trouble with the police lends a hand.They go back to the house and discover a hidden room which the police hilariously never noticed after the woman who disappeared from the house was reported missing.

The biker woman then for no sensible reason calls on someone she vaguely knew from school who has super powers and can communicate with dead people by using torches as electricity attracts the spirits apparently. After a visit to the house we discover a ghostly presence for some unexplained reason is trying to tell the biker something. After another shock in a motel which ends up with the biker woman trying to flee on a bike in her underwear leaving behind the missing woman's daughter, who has nothing at all to do with the story really, she decides to investigate.

A quick look on the Internet uncovers some information about a serial killer that once murdered someone in the town. An equally quick visit to a church ties it all together with someones dead mother. I was not really sure which of the characters was the woman's daughter but the mother seemed to be a bit of a nasty type who did something involving a cupboard which is never explained.

After a phone call to the psychic woman we get the films climactic reveal which involves a Oiuja board sequence which is stupid and an even stupider shock ending.

So what can we learn from The Pact. Basically ghosts are attracted to electricity which is a worry in these modern times, people with different coloured eyes are not to be trusted and film makers have far too much money to waste on complete toss like this.

Again what's wrong with people on IMDb? This movie is absolutely horrible.

Throughout the whole movie I felt like I was watching random people doing random stuff.

1: We don't know who anyone are, all we get to know is that two of the girls are sisters, and their mother is dead.

2: Why is their brother living under the house in a secret room? Maybe he got some kind of fetish for basements?

3: What pact? I don't see anything about a pact in this movie.

4: There is no emotions when Annie's sister and friend disappears, it's like the movie just keeps going like nothing happened. The same with the little girl. Her mom and nanny (or whoever she is) are dead but she's like whatever.

5: The last scene right before the movie ends makes no sense at all, but then again nothing in this movie did.

I could do this for hours, but I think you get my point. This movie is rubbish.