[yasr_overall_rating]
A coming-of-rage story about discovering your true self and overcoming your inner demons to find love in a chaotic world.
L. Gustavo Cooper, the director of “June,” must have been influenced by the horror movies of the ’70s and ’80s because his film is a terrific homage to them. From the beautiful anamorphic widescreen shots to the electronic score, evocative of John Carpenter’s “Halloween” and Don Coscarelli’s “Phantasm,” “June” works because of a combination of these elements. While Casper Van Dien is an actor not particularly known for his method acting, here, he actually delivers a sympathetic performance as one of the foster parents who tries to bond with the troubled June (Kennedy Brice). All of the actors involved are solid and help carry the film to its cinematic conclusion.
Two parents who are part of a Satanic cult, offer their baby daughter up for sacrifice, albeit reluctantly and just as the cult leader is about to impale it with a knife, the mother slashes her throat and passes the baby to a young child who manages to escape, just as the powers of evil destroy all involved in the ritual. The baby is eventually put into foster care and nine years later, Dave and Lily Anderson (Casper Van Dien and Victoria Pratt) have adopted her, unaware of her troubled past. As both try to connect with June, they begin to notice strange goings on, small things that generally wouldn’t warrant a second glance but eventually they realize that June is possessed by a destructive spirit that will annihilate anything, or anyone, in her immediate vicinity.
“June” borrows elements from “Carrie” and even “Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood,” where the film’s heroine battles Jason with telekinesis. Every time June gets upset, the spirit within shows its destructive capability so Dave and Lily try to make her surroundings as pleasant as possible but when a face from June’s and indeed Lily’s past re-emerges and kidnaps June, both Dave and Lily must act fast if they are to prevent history from repeating itself. While “June” offers nothing new to this particular genre, it coasts along at a steady pace and offers a few genuinely scary scenarios that should please even the most bloodthirsty fans. “June” is director L. Gustavo Cooper’s second directorial feature and I look forward to his next outing with feverish expectation.
Available on DVD and Digital October 6th
