The Good Sisters (2009, Review)

Director: JimmyO Burril

Cast: April Monique Burril, Debbie Rochon, David L. Calhoun

Forbidden Pictures / Not Rated / NTSC Region 0 / 16×9 Widescreen / 106 Minutes / PURCHASE

I’ve come to the conclusion that a good old fashioned occult movie has been missing from the horror buffet in recent years. The last notable one that can be recalled at the moment is the 1996 teenage girl angst film The Craft. So, what is the deal? Has the fascination with witches and warlocks turned its more diabolical stride to a far more suitable and profitable family friendly direction like Harry Potter? Hopefully, the occult genre revives itself like the zombie genre did when it flourished in the mid 70′s to mid 80′s, died in the 90′s and then exploded into overkill with the start of the new millennia. Director JimmyO Burril’s The Good Sisters will jump start the idle heart of the occult genre, bringing back the erotic and satanic roots that once were the delightful mix for many predecessors such as Witchboard, Witchcraft and Warlock.

Breanne and Kindra Good are descendants of a great witch condemned during the Salem Witch Trial era and they still conduct their ancient, passed down beliefs of black magic. The sisters live in a renovated boarding house-turned-apartment complex with seven other tenants. Danial Hopkins, the newest tenant directly below them, still hasn’t unpacked after months of settling and his awkward behavior sends the sisters into a paranoid state that quickly spreads among all the tenants as a conspiracy theory against the two witches. Breanne and Kindra trust no one and seek to stop them before the inevitable witch hunt happens.

Neither the cover art nor the first glance of The Good Sisters give it any kind of credible justice of being a “good” film and I’ll be the first to admit that I judged it too hastily. You can’t judge a film by its cover apparently. What seems like a slow burn through the first two acts is just a gradual boil until the pressure builds and it can no longer be contained. It pops in your face, splashing scorching hot disbelief and leaving a residual yet welcome it-feels-so-good burning scar. My beady eyes were glued to the TV and sadness had a tight hold on me as I remembered the occult films of my youth. A cynical smile steadily grew as The Good Sisters took charge of their paranoia, removing a reverend’s heart, performing incestuous sexual rituals and using a Ouija board to conjure beyond-the-dead advice!

Director JimmyO’s wife, April Monique Burril, plays “Kindra Good”, the suspicious sister who always believed that their neighbors were plotting witch hunters. You also might recall April from another JimmyO film that is more notable – Chainsaw Sally. April works with Debbie Rochon who is practically the Samuel L. Jackson of B horror films (she’s in a lot of fucking movies). The roles of “Breanne” and “Kindra” are perfect for April and Debbie as they fill in the sisters shoes with ease. Their comfort level displayed naturally. My reason for that conclusion comes from their dialogue and their physical delivery. Independent films are notorious for hiring barely paid to pro-bono actors and actresses and the end result of their performances are suspect at best. With The Good Sisters, all the acting between April and Debbie was smooth and that’s a breath of fresh air. As for the supporting cast, I will only say that David Calhoun was a believable mysophobic.

I’m a sucker for a twist ending and The Good Sisters gave it to me; this ending also contributed to the gasping nature of this subtle gem.  The Good Sisters will be a great addition to anyone’s occult film catalog, or to anyone’s collection for that matter as it hits retail shelves February 2nd. Also, if JimmyO reads this review, he has to reveal his secret on how he managed to convince his wife to do a girl-on-girl scene so I can convince my girlfriend to do the same. Supposedly both April and Debbie had surgery before filming and I wanted to know, as I’m sure most of the readers do as well, what kind of surgery was performed because both women looked endowed in all the right places, if you ask me! Get caught in The Good Sisters spell and pre-order your copy today before being sacrificed!

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