The film is good overall, but there are issues that I had with it from the beginning. J.C. Doler’s first feature made its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival, playing in their Dark Matters Features section. There will be a second screening during the festival for genre fans to view it. Doler co-wrote the screenplay along with Paul Petersen, based on a story by Doler, Taylor Bracewell, and Chris Alan Evans.
The minute the film started out with a child who was scared because an adult voice creepily calls his name “Nicky” (Tucker Grumbles) and there is pounding on the bedroom doors, I was ready to not view the film. I do not like films that introduce horror through scenes with children. It is a terrifying first few minutes in this film. There is a scene with the shot of a cover of a book regarding “fetch” and unless someone is already familiar with the term, it may be confusing. This film does not provide the meaning or significance of the term at the beginning of the film as others have done recently (even a film at this festival). It would be helpful for someone viewing a film that is using a culture or country’s folklore as a basis for their story.
After the scary scenes of the elementary age young boy, the film jumps forward about 15-20 years when a couple has a young boy about 4-5 years old. It is not immediately clear if this man, Nicholas (Logan Donovan) is now the traumatized boy grown up with a son of his own. It is not until the wife, Charlie (Aleksa Palladino) makes a mention about paperwork about his grandmother’s home as a first clue, then later after tragedy hits their home. Once Charlie goes to drop off Nicholas at the grandmother’s home for recovery after hospitalization, then the story loops back to the grandmother that has passed away as described later in the film. There is no reference to the child’s mental health after the trauma in his grandmother’s home, where he grew up after the parents and grandmother’s death, and/or if he had any treatment into adulthood. A little about his life might have helped this appear more authentic.
Synopsis: Following the death of his only son, a grieving father is haunted by a terrifying demon known in Irish folklore as the Fetch.
My suggestion would be for more viewers to read more about Irish folklore ahead of viewing the film.
The Fetch also stars Robert Longstreet and Shannon Cochran, Tripp Toupal among others. The film is produced by Donovan, Doler, Alexander Jeffery, Paul Petersen, Brittany Fallow, and Chris Alan Evans. Jaime Schwartzberg, Andrew Schwartzberg, Ben Hoeller, Holger Fuchs, Christian Jantscha, and Tamra Corley Davis serve as executive producers on the project.
The world premiere at the Austin Film Festival was on Sunday, and the next screening is on Wednesday, October 30th, 5:45 pm at the Galaxy Theater.
Source: Austin Film Festival
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