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Folks, I was excited to see this movie! Again it was sold out, and the media/VIP/industry line was long as fuck, even one hour before showtime. The nice organizers put out some extra chairs and were able to squeeze in a few more viewers.

Cherry Tree is an Irish Film starring the lovely Anna Walton and Naomi Battrick. The description of the film hit all the right notes with me. It seemed to promise creepy behaviors and dealings with the devil, possible possession and a potentially beautiful imagery surrounding these beautiful women and a mythical cherry tree. Witchy goodness!

See how pretty that photo is?

Folks, I was sorely disappointed. And judging from the reactions overheard in the audience, I wasn`t alone. I sincerely felt guilty for not sticking around for the Q&A after, since most the crowd was rushing out to catch Bunny The Killer Thing, and the host`s awkward voice over the PA saying “Folks, umm, we are doing a Q&A…” But it was late and I wanted to go home. It would have been interesting to hear what they had to say about it, and how they felt about the audience reaction.

I feel horribly guilty for writing a negative review, so I will start by saying things I did like about the movie. Might make me feel a little better (haha…)

I loved the two leading ladies` performances. Anna Walton played the sexy creepy witch part very well, despite some awkward editing here and there. Naomi Battrick I had not previously seen in anything else, but I dug her portrayal of angsty yet relatable teen girl. It wasn`t over the top or over dramatic. Another casting choice that I liked was Minnie Phipps, as the mean girl at school.

The only other thing I liked really was that there were, indeed, a few really nice shots that gave some scenes a nice dark and eerie feel. But there were too few 🙁

I was not a fan of Sam Hazeldine`s performance. Just didn`t think it fit well with how the film was shot.

The editing was just… bad. Awkwardly superimposed SFX images over scenes that would have been stronger otherwise. Made it even comical in scenes that should have been powerfully disturbing if not tampered with. Make up and SFX were okay for a mid 90s Clive Barker production… but not as cool.

I`d recommend this movie if you like poorly explained conclusions and are slightly drunk with friends. Good for a laugh, I suppose?

Arrrrg I feel awful writing this!