Mikes Film Talk

Co-writer/Director Jimmy Drain presents the 2024 anthology horror Realm of Shadows. Sadly, it falls a little short of the mark. Clearly meant to emulate other films of this ilk, it does not quite pull off its lofty target. The film follows the myth of “the dagger of destiny.” *AKA; the spear of destiny.* Said to have been the object that was thrust into the side of Christ, it yields “great power.” Only those who possess the item have access to this power.

The Story

Realm of Shadows follows interwoven tales of horror. Each story is meant to augment the others. The final tale shows evil winning over good, but the fight is not over.

The Cast

Tony Todd is Father Dudley.

Vernon Wells is Cypress.

Jimmy Drain is Robby.

Richard Tyson is Hugo.

Vida Ghaffari is Cassandra.

Harley Wallen is Aspect.

Erika Monet Butters is Nalum.

Let’s Talk Realm of Shadows

Jimmy Drain is a busy beaver here. He co-writes, directs, stars and edits this one. Kudos for being an “overachiever.” There are some things though that do not work. Before going into these “issues,” let’s address what does work.

Drain shares writing credit with Robert Bieber and Lewis Leslie. Obviously, all three “cooks” here are influenced by the old comic books. Similar to the anthology horror Creepshow (Call me Billy! Everybody does!) but without the sly humour.

“Shadows” plays it straight and this may be one reason it doesn’t work. It also replaces the “crypt keeper” with a bevy of witches. This ultimately works for the film as they are part of the story.

Realm of Shadows has a lot going for it. A splendid cast full of long time favorites and some new. Todd steals the picture and Wells comes close. Wallen, a new fave, rocks with his particular version of gravitas. Drain, who features throughout, does a good job but we feel he took on too much.

Issues

There are a number of issues. Foremost the Priest blessing the house does the sign of the cross incorrectly. *In essence the entire thing is pretty much backwards.* The mixing of demons and the Church as strange bedfellows is also a “no-go.” Todd’s Priest allows Drain’s character to be converted into, or possessed by, a demon.

The sound lets the side down as does the Ouija board sequences meant to tie everything together. Although other things are quite good. The bit where Sarah (Heather Tocquigny) suddenly turns into the “new guy” and back works very well.

*Kudos to Tocquigny for being easily the most natural character in the entire film. She brings a truthful freshness to a minute role. #nosmallparts*

Ambitious

Realm of Shadows is ambitious and uses a lot of existing scary tales to tell the multifaceted story. The initial sequence about love is a nod, apparently to The Love Witch. The dancing portion is a clear allusion to Rosemary’s Baby, or possibly Apartment 7a.

Clearly the filmmakers intend this to look like the old comics. The end credits confirm this idea. They also mean this to be a franchise. Open it may be to a sequel the deaths of Tony Todd and Mel Novak negates this somewhat. It means that re-casting is in order at any rate.

This was one I really wanted to like. I adore anthology horror. By the end of the day, however, it did not really ring my bell.

It is interesting to note that the film went into Post Production status way back in 2019. The film was not completed until 2022 and not released until 2024. What happened besides COVID?

The Verdict

Despite IMDb giving the film a rating of 7.1, rather high, Realm of Shadows earns a short 3 stars from us. It’s lofty ambitions fall rather short of its end product. It entertains but is so confusing that we almost lost interest before the final reel. The film is streaming on Tubi right now. Head on over and see what you think. Did we miss something?

The Trailer