Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Inspired by the true story of a family who believed they were possessed by spirits. This film follows a woman who must protect her child from a curse.
Incantation is a standout entry in found-footage horror, notable for its inventive formal conceits — it implicates the viewer directly in the curse through address-to-camera rituals and audience participation, creating a genuinely unsettling meta-horror experience. The Taiwanese religious mythology feels fresh and specific, and the nonlinear structure adds intrigue. Cinematography earns high marks for its immersive, suffocating handheld work and clever use of POV constraints to build dread. The plot is serviceable but occasionally muddled by its fractured timeline. Acting is competent without being exceptional. The ending is affecting but somewhat conventional for the genre's doom-laden traditions.