Review of Totem

Totem (I) (2017)
5/10
waiting and a twist
3 February 2018
Kellie (Kerris Dorsey) is a 17 year old who spends her energy taking care of her father James (James Tupper) and younger sister Abby. Despite her objection, James invites longtime girlfriend Robin (Ahna O'Reilly) to live with them. Abby has not been sleeping. Kellie grows frustrated with newcomer Robin as she seeks solace from boyfriend Todd.

This is another Blumhouse product. They take a scatter gun approach to financing these small scale horrors. This one simply lacks intensity. It's a slow grinding horror. It has no particular atmosphere other than the suburban home vibe. There are all the traditional jump scares and the Poltergeist moves but nothing is new. Tupper and O'Reilly are not particularly special. I only know Dorsey as a child actress in Brothers & Sisters. She's mostly fine and does her transformation well. Most of this movie is a waiting game and it's an impatient wait. The motion detectors are almost interesting. The movie grinds on until the last act. The twist works well enough but it isn't enough. This needs more.
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