I've been watching a lot of newer and decidedly lower budget Horror movies lately, avoiding in-your-face gore when possible but looking for new depictions of Horror. I'm finding that most are of the found footage variety and while those are sometimes fun, I'm not shying away from different interpretations of familiar Horror movie tropes, either.

I watched "The Shrine" on a recommendation from a friend, which is often as much a miss as a hit. I found "The Shrine" to be a slow starter and it was only offering more of the same old, same old. A small group of people head off somewhere without telling anyone. Led by a spunky, determined leader, they quickly get in over their heads. Two of the three group members happen upon an evil statue shrouded in thick fog (in Poland, no less). They are chased by what appear to be members of a demonic cult, and even though this doesn't sound out of the ordinary, things start to unravel for the three group members in not so typical fashion.

I don't want to give away anything that happens from this point on, but just to encourage the viewer to stick with it until completion. You won't see anything that is particularly cinematic, and there aren't any directorial flourishes to nerd out over. "The Shrine" isn't a great Horror movie, but it's definitely worth its fun conclusion.

Right from the start, this movie throwing out those Black Sunday (1960) vibes.

This movie has a lot going for it. Bleeding demonic statue, small town not liking outsiders snooping around, and twisted imagery.

It brings the spooks but I would've liked some backstory to the statue and why the town has been this way.

This was a good watch though. I just wish Carmen brushed up on her Polish there before taking the case and trip. Plus it would've been nice to know what the villagers were saying in their native language.

Am I the only one that feel that statue was rather Pazuzu like?