Can a film cause harm – or even death – to someone who watches it?
Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made is a feature length film (purportedly) shot in the late 70s that is said to be cursed, with extremely bad stuff happening to anybody brave/stupid enough to watch. So what happened when I (bravely/stupidly?) decided to take a gander?
As the story goes, during a screening of the film in 1988, a cinema in Budapest burned to the ground with 56 people in attendance dying in the fire. This and other subsequent misfortunes involving screenings of Antrum have led to the creation of a legend suggesting that anyone who watches it will die.
Antrum tells the tale of a young boy and his teenage sister (Rowan Smyth and Nicole Tompkins) who embark upon an ill-fated camping trip in a supposedly haunted forest to dig a hole to Hell in an effort to save the soul of their pet dog that had to be put down. All sorts of nasty things ensue with the kids fighting for their lives and their sanity.
ANTRUM – Trailer from Jinga Films on Vimeo.
To be sure, I did not die watching Antrum. I was not bored to death watching nor did I suffer a heart attack from sheer fright. A week after my at-home screening of the film, I’m still alive. Indeed, things seem to be going pretty well (considering all the ickiness in the world with Covid-19 et al these days). Nonetheless, the creep out factor for this flick was high and lingered more than a few hours on the rainy weekend night I watched it.
Writer/directors Michael Laicini and David Amito crafted a horror film with fascinating and novel backstory that’s fun to watch. It’s a good one to add to your list of Halloween viewing treats this season.
Look for Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made in UK Cinemas from 23 October 2020 available on DVD and for digital download from 26 October.
Find out more at antrumdeadliestfilm.com.
