Review: Pretentious horror film ‘Awaken the Shadowman’ slides into silliness

Somehow worse than its ridiculous title, “Awaken the Shadowman” is sillier than it is scary. At once portentous and pretentious, it creates the expectation that audiences are in for a villain worthy of their fear (and a franchise), but the filmmakers haven’t invested in creating a monster that inspires anything more than boredom.

That pretension extends beyond the title, with the movie opening with a quote from Plato. After a prologue, Adam (James Zimbardi) receives a call from his estranged brother, Jake (Skyler Caleb), telling him to come home. Adam returns to find their mother (Jean Smart) has disappeared, drawn into a cult-like grieving group.

Written by three of its stars — Zimbardi, Caleb and Woodrow Wilson Hancock III — the script for “Awaken the Shadowman” has more red herrings than a commercial fishery. Its biggest scare comes from a jump cut to the buzz of a circular saw.

While director J.S. Wilson deserves credit for choosing to bring the titular villain to the screen using what appear to be practical effects, there’s little development beyond his appearance. We ultimately learn little about the Shadowman, and it seems less like an intentional choice to create dread and more simple ineptitude.

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‘Awaken the Shadowman’

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Playing: Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica

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