The Taking of Deborah Logan

The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Adam Robitel

Starring: Jill Larson, Anne Ramsay, Michelle Ang, Brett Gentile, Jeremy DeCarlos

From: Several entities, including Bryan Singer… much to my surprise

Seeing that this was presented by Bryan Singer was the biggest shock of the movie. There were no opening credits as I saw this play on one of the three streaming channels on Shudder’s service; thus, when the end credits began and I saw that name listed—it was an unpleasant surprise. Of course that plays no effect on my rating but in case you didn’t know yourself or forgot…

This is a faux documentary where several college students in a class do a report on an older lady who was just diagnosed w/ Alzheimer’s. I know that awful disease has affected many people throughout history; that sadly includes my grandfather who had it for several years before passing away in ’09. No further details will be provided except that it was tragic to see him in that state; likewise, this did show how exhausting the ordeal was for the adult daughter who has to care for her mother. Of course, it was more than just Alzheimer’s which is affecting poor Deborah…

Admittedly, I did prefer the first half of the movie where we see the real-life horrors of that disease to the second half where the “other issue” was more theatrical, even if it was intriguing lore they created. At first I wasn’t sure of the film crew as they all seemed like clueless, jerks, or clueless jerks, but that image does soften. Overall, despite how implausible it gets and how at times it does strain the credulity of the documentary conceit, there are still frights and an indelible image that you won’t soon forget (plus, what a performance from Jill Larson as the eponymous character)… thus, I’ll say this is good despite its flaws & uneven nature.