The Curse of Lilith Ratchet is a horror film released in 2018. The movie follows a group of friends who accidentally release the spirit of Lilith Ratchet, a vengeful witch who was executed in the late 1800s. The main plot revolves around a board game called "Lilith's Curse," which was discovered in an attic by the protagonist Alice. Alice and her friends, Mark and Brett, decide to play the board game, unaware of the curse that comes with it. As they play the game, they unwittingly summon the spirit of Lilith Ratchet, who begins to terrorize them one by one. The curse states that once Lilith is summoned, she will seek revenge on the descendants of those who wronged her in the past.
The curse of lilith ratchet
Stars: KateLynn E. Newberry, Rob Jaeger, Roger Conners, Angela Cole, Brianna Burke, George Tutie, Crissy Kolarik, Layla Cushman, Lauren Paulis, D.J. Remark, Debbie Scaletta, Ann Shamess | Written and Directed by Eddie Lengyel
Name: The Curse Of Lilith Ratchet (aka American Poltergeist: The Curse Of Lilith Ratchet)
Age: 2019
Appearance: A slick-looking ghostly slasher film with all the production values of a Hallmark film. Not much blood or atmosphere but plenty of hysterical acting and a villain that looks like a cross between the Woman in Black and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Lilith Ratchet. Don’t lose your head!
Alright guv’nor. ‘Ow’s it going?
Why are you speaking like that? And what’s with the flat cap and chimney brush.
It’s the Curse of Lilith Ratchet, innit geezer? That’s the name of a Dickensian cockerneeee villain, if ever I ‘eard one.
She’s nothing of the sort. Lilith Ratchet (a gloomy looking Crissy Kolarik) is a poor woman who had her head chopped off after her heart turned black when her husband had an affair with a baker.
She’s not a cockney villain from a Dickens book?
I dressed up like a chimney sweep for nothing then.
Sigh… So, what’s Lilith’s beef?
Well, after she had her head chopped off, it was shrunk down and put in a box with a little nursery rhyme usefully explaining the curse. Basically, if you pass her head around and repeat her name then whoever is left with the head is cursed to die at the hands of Ratchet. Of course, a group of young college hipsters do just that and Lilith kills each of them, one by one.
Cor blimey. Them geezers never learn.
You can stop now.
I mean, they read the nursery rhyme and still did it anyway?
Of course. Otherwise it would have been a very short film. And to be honest, at one hour and forty-five minutes, it could have done with being a little shorter.
Why is it so long?
The dialogue is very exposition heavy and when they are not explaining the plot over and over again, they are either screaming at each other as to how scared they are or worrying that they are next to die. After we get a prologue where Lilith kills two unnamed women, we are introduced to Hunter Perry (played by a tall haired Rob Jaegera), a podcaster who presents a show about the paranormal. He purchases the shrunken head off of the college hipsters with the intention of using it at a Halloween party.
I love Halloween parties with that apple bobbing game but I’ve never played with a decapitated head before.
Hunter describes the game as a mix of hot potato and musical chairs with those at the party getting a free Hunter Perry T-shirt. However, I thought it was more like a morbid version of Pass the parcel where you pitch a severed head about and chant, “Lillith Ratchet took a hatchet and gave her lover a head… in a basket. Play the game and call her name and one by one you’ll feel her pain.” Unbeknownst to Hunter, various characters become marked for death, including his girlfriend, Bree (Angela Cole).
But they still get a free T-shirt. So not all bad.
Although it was competently directed, the film lacks any style or atmosphere and some of the characters seem rather lifeless and wooden. It felt as if all involved were simply going through the motions. Instead of screaming and crying in fear, characters gasp and wheeze as if they had just stubbed a toe. One amusing scene features a girl screaming “no no no” at hearing about the death of her friend, sounding more like she’s throwing a tantrum in a supermarket rather being shocked and scared. She then returns to behaving as if her friend had never died.
Sounds like a drinking game is in order. Take a drink whenever you see a Stock Acting Method being used.
And there are plenty of them. You get a lot of hysterical screaming and shouting “nooooo!”, “Oh my God. She/he’s dead!” Plenty of miserable characters looking at the ground and shaking their heads, crying and hugging themselves and plunging their hands into their pockets. If you added in taking a drink whenever a jump scare occurs such as the ghost appearing in the mirror/window/doorway/bathroom/car, then you’d probably end up with a shrunken head yourself.
What about the horror bits. That’s why we’re here after all.
Most of it happens off screen with the occasional blood spurt against the wall. There are a couple of flourishes, which might please some horror fans but you have to slog through a lot of pointless moments just to get to some horror fun. I mean, there was one long scene where Hunter’s mum turns up to make a drink and tell him that his show isn’t very good. What was the point of that? And why did we have to sit through watching her mess about with bottles and pouring drinks. No wonder the film clocks in at nearly two hours.
Ok, but what about the story itself? It can’t all just be ghost kills hipsters.
Aside of the listless dialogue and acting, there is actually a nice story rolling underneath. The curse, although somewhat devoid of logic, makes for some suspenseful plotting and I wish they had elaborated on the ghosts of their dead friends coming to warn them or Hunter Perry’s clairvoyant aunt seemingly possessed by Ratchet. Instead we get scenes of a woman making a drink or Bree arguing with her sister about who’s bra she is wearing.
I have a lot of questions but what I really want to know is, whose bra was Bree really wearing?
No wonder she was pissed.
______
Do say: Gotta catch-et Lilith Ratchet.
Don’t say: Lilith Retch-it
The Curse of Lilith Ratchet (2018) – Play The Game. Call Her Name.
Next up on my review plate was the latest (and greatest) feature film from Eddie Lengyel known as The Curse of Lilith Ratchet. I reviewed another Lengyel film back in September Mother Krampus 2: Slay Ride and at the time I felt Slay Ride was his best looking flick. Well, that’s only because I hadn’t seen Ratchet yet. This takes the cake in that department as it looks phenomenal. This may be a ‘low budget’ indie film but it certainly doesn’t look or feel that way.
The film has been officially titled American Poltergeist: The Curse of Lilith Ratchet as it is the next installment in the popular “American Poltergeist” series, which is current ly available on Netflix.
SPOILER ALERT: This review will talk openly about some plot points of the film. I’ll try not to ruin any major surprises but if you want to be totally spoiler free skip this until you’ve watched the film.
The curse states that once Lilith is summoned, she will seek revenge on the descendants of those who wronged her in the past. The friends soon realize the severity of their situation and attempt to find a way to break the curse. They seek the help of a paranormal investigator, Dr.
The Curse of Lilith Ratchet Synopsis
Alice and her best friend Lauren inadvertently set a hellish curse in motion after surprisingly acquiring a mysterious shrunken head. Wanting to know more about their fiendish find, they pay a visit to a popular paranormal podcast host Hunter Perry of “Beyond the Veil”. Hunter discovers it’s true authenticity of the ages-old object and in hopes of creating a rating boost, he plans a LIVE podcast in which the tale of the shrunken head will be introduced to the masses. Little do they know by playing the game and calling her name they will release the malevolent demonic spirit of Lilith Ratchet.
Brandt, who reveals that the only way to stop Lilith is to find her original tombstone and perform a ritual to banish her spirit. Throughout the movie, the friends face various paranormal encounters and struggle to evade Lilith's wrath. As the curse takes its toll on them, tensions rise within the group, leading to conflicts and further endangering their lives. The Curse of Lilith Ratchet combines elements of supernatural horror, mystery, and suspense. It explores themes of guilt, revenge, and the consequences of tampering with the supernatural. The movie builds tension through jump scares, eerie atmospheres, and a sense of impending doom. Ultimately, the friends must confront their own personal demons and make sacrifices to stop Lilith and break the curse. The Curse of Lilith Ratchet offers a chilling and thrilling horror experience for fans of the genre..
Reviews for "Supernatural True Crime: The Curse of Lilith Ratchet"
1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "The Curse of Lilith Ratchet". The plot was predictable and the scares felt forced and cliche. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any depth or development. The CGI effects were also quite poor and took away from the overall viewing experience. I had high expectations for this film and unfortunately, it fell flat.
2. Sarah - 2 stars - "The Curse of Lilith Ratchet" was a generic horror film that failed to bring anything fresh or innovative to the genre. The storyline was filled with overused tropes and lacked originality. The acting was subpar and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. It simply didn't manage to create a captivating atmosphere or deliver any genuine scares. I was left feeling unimpressed and unsatisfied with this film.
3. Michael - 1 star - I found "The Curse of Lilith Ratchet" to be utterly unwatchable. The story was convoluted and lacked coherence, making it difficult to follow and invest in. The acting was cringe-worthy, with wooden performances and unconvincing emotions. The jump scares were poorly executed and failed to elicit any real fear. It's a film that fails to live up to its potential and ultimately left me feeling frustrated and annoyed.
4. Emily - 2 stars - "The Curse of Lilith Ratchet" had potential but ultimately failed to deliver a truly scary experience. The pacing was slow and the build-up lacked tension, resulting in a lackluster climax. The characters were uninteresting and made decisions that were difficult to justify, further hindering my ability to invest in the story. While there were a few terrifying moments, they were far too scarce to make up for the overall mediocrity of the film.
5. David - 1 star - "The Curse of Lilith Ratchet" was an absolute waste of time. The story was nonsensical and lacked any logical progression. The acting was amateurish and the dialogue was cringe-worthy. The special effects were laughably bad, making it impossible to take the film seriously. Overall, it was a forgettable and poorly made horror film that I wish I hadn't wasted my time on.