Wizard-8
If you were a regular renter of B movies in the 1980s, no doubt you remember that there were some B movie directors who had the gall to make B movies that were shot on videotape. Almost all of them were terrible. "Marked" is kind of an update on that disreputable genre. It's not shot on videotape, but it has that same cheap look and feel as those 1980s movies. Actually, that is not the main problem I had with the movie. The biggest problem with the movie is that it moves at a snail's pace, and contains almost no real shocks or jolts. The no name cast shows signs of talent, but for the most part they don't seem very enthusiastic, maybe sensing that they are in a real turkey. I would only recommend this movie to independent filmmakers who want to make a horror movie - as a lesson on what to avoid when they get around to making their efforts.
TheLittleSongbird
I have actually seen worse movies than Marked, but I really have to agree with the previous reviewers that it is really difficult to sit through. To start with, it does look incredibly cheap to look at. The photography are editing are so haphazard that it is not always easy to decipher what is going on, while the film is often too dark in its lighting and the effects are slapdash at best. I too thought that the house was too small and nowhere near creepy enough to be convincing. I would have forgiven Marked for this if the story and script were anything worthwhile. But that was not to be. The script feels as though it was improvised on the spot, I actually want to hear dialogue that actually gives some kind of credibility to the characters and the situations instead of having something that sounds like an extended episode of Ghost Hunters(or something like that. The story is never exciting or suspenseful, it moves along at a snail's pace and because the haunts were so predictable and the ancient cult idea so ridiculously executed has nothing unsettling or shocking about it. The characters are annoying and very cold to the viewers, some like Mitch just disappear just like that with no explanation. The acting is pretty much non-existent, and can someone explain to me the significance of the title. So all in all, it really is a test for your endurance. 2/10, because I'm feeling generous and it didn't make me angry enough for me to warrant it a 1. Bethany Cox
Claudio Carvalho
Diella (Tara Carroll), her skeptical brother Mitch (Samuel Child) and their friends Marcus (Sam Sarpong), Danny "D" (Rafael Rios) and Amanda (Samantha Alarcon) are ghost-hunters seeking evidences of existence of ghosts using sophisticated apparatuses. Diella is haunted by the death of her father six years ago and is encouraged by her college professor Dr. Frederickson (Mark Colson) to continue her research. When they visit the house of Amelia Gershom (Pepper Jay) that is haunted by her deceased husband, they get involved in an evil ancient cult of resurrection."Marked" is a pointless and silly horror tale. The plot is inconsistent and there is no explanation why the group invests lots of time and money searching ghosts, especially Mitch that does not believe in ghosts. Further, the story is confused and the ancient cult using the Apocrypha is sort of ridiculous. My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "A Marca da Morte" ("The Mark of the Death")
slayrrr666
"Marked" is a somewhat enjoyable if decent haunted house film.**SPOILERS**Out on an investigation, ghost-hunters Diella, (Tara Carroll) Mitch, (Samuel Child) Marcus, (Sam Sarpong) Danny, (Rafael Rios) and Amanda, (Samantha Alarcon) bemoaning their lack of accomplishing anything, are given a new case to try in order to continue their studies. Going to a reputedly haunted house and setting up their equipment, they come up empty at first until they finally get evidence of something in the house. Eventually discovering that these supernatural haunting are all a part of an ancient ceremony that will result in a former associate of the family that was killed to be resurrected through her investigating one of their targets, they manage to find a way of stopping it from coming true.The Good News: There was some good stuff to this one which hold it up. One of the best features is that there's a really well-done series of hauntings done at the end of the film to really end it on a high note. The house itself is a rather creepy location for setting such action up, so with one strike already, the action that comes along is so much fun that there's nothing to do but enjoy the scenes. From the group's encounters setting up the alarms, which is to introduce the atmospheric location rather well, to the triggered alarms blaring over the ghost going into brutal action and the final encounter being a lot of fun between the two due to the implications already in play from past experience, this is one hugely fun scene and it ends the film well. That the kills featured, from the multiple tearing out of hearts to breaking a back over a table-counter and having a head ripped to pieces, this one is really good there. Even the pre-credits sequence works, for the introduction of a murder by arrow-in-the-neck that is continuously recalled throughout is a fine opening. Aside from the brutality, there's actually a fair amount of scenes which are creepy and actually atmospheric, showing a nice path to take here. The rocking chair shown on the video camera is an absolute standout, for it's a fantastic idea in theory and comes off effectively in practice, working well on both accounts. The scenes of the flashing ghost staring at the camera are also quite effective, and the opening scenes in the graveyard are just purely atmospheric wonders. The trip to find the strange noises, which results in a great scare, comes off nicely, the flashing ghost makes an early appearance, and the setting for this is just outstanding to start with, as the rolling fog and inability to see for great distances is wrapped into a fun sequence that works well. The last plus to this one is the mystery here about the returning ghost and the cult, which is slightly overkill but still comes off rather nicely. From a purely fictional standpoint, it's got some creepy undertones about it, and it does tend to have a connection to the film due to its flimsy story beforehand, but even still it's still got some real heat to it that makes it feel more like a throwback than anything else. These here are all what help this one.The Bad News: This one had some rather large problems to it that ultimately hurt it. One of the biggest flaws is the fact that there's just a whole lot of rather lame hauntings in here that aren't all too well-done. The first one is the group appearing at the second house to set-up their cameras and other pieces of equipment for the investigation. There's a series of lengthy scenes that focus on them, first talking about some legend that, while important in the film, isn't referenced at all despite all the action based off it, leaving that whole amount of time to be just a bunch of nothing going on for a long time. That there's some action with the group, including the requisite scaring of another through the disappearing-into-darkness-then-leaping-out-screaming type of scene, and the drama about the family relationship being brought up doesn't work at all in here and just makes it all the more hard to get through. A later scene where they appeal to another to let them do the same thing is pretty much ruined through the use of cheap flashing images used to impart that she sees something not really there, and the effect comes off cheaply. Also quite problematic is a series of scenes where a professor lectures a class of ten about the supernatural, and while they're all informative, that they have to be shoe-horned into the film so randomly without explanation is a mystery, and the jarring effect they have on the tempo and pace is noticeable. The last flaw, though, is the fact that the last half of the film is just so overblown and infused with so much that it's hard to take in at once. There's mainly way too much time away from the final house investigation because it has to include the subplot about the shady professor, which is incredibly scattered in design that there's nothing other to do but stay confused at it all. Then there's the cult and their actions, and they're such a last-minute feel it's hard to know why they were needed. These here are the film's problems.The Final Verdict: While there is some good stuff to be had in here, the fact that the flaws are so problematic is what ultimately hurts this one. Give it a shot if you're into this style of haunted house film or are curious about it, while those that are put off by what's here won't be that impressed with it.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language
