I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

'Bethany' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing, if not exactly novel, idea and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. Found the film to be pretty weak with a lot more wrong than right. 'Bethany' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a few decent, even good, qualities in 'Bethany', at least it wasn't intelligence insulting or inept (unlike some films seen recently) though the potential was never lived up to.Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric, likewise with the very nice way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it. 'Bethany' started off fairly spookily and the ending intrigues.However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained. The more 'Bethany' progressed, the duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary it got, and too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it.Acting is not good, though Zack Ward fares serviceably and it was interesting to see Ellen Gerstell, best known for voice acting, in a role. Stefania Estes is a lifeless lead though, while Shannon Doherty looks tired and disengaged and Tom Green playing it straight didn't turn out refreshing or surprising, instead it felt odd and without much personality.Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting. Found the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense.In conclusion, pretty weak but not unwatchable. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Although it starts out slow paced, it gets better as it moves along. A few scenes throughout, made lasting impressions with me. I'm still thinking about it two days after I watched it and I can't say that about a lot of movies. Loved the gloomy aesthetics and of course, the Bethany makeup was incredible! I will watch this one again!

'Bethany' is James Cullen Bressack's most recent film and is a return to his much-favoured horror genre. 'Bethany' is definitely his best film to date, although I really enjoyed 'Pernicious' too.It's story of a woman returning to her childhood home, which stirs up memories of maternal abuse and fear. The full story of her past unfolds throughout and is not until the end that we find out the truth. The film has a very claustrophobic feel and we can really get a feel of the tension and pressure that the lead character feels.The only drawback for me was that it is a bit dialogue-heavy in places and some of the genuinely good scares are kept for the final act.However, it is definitely worth a watch.

After filling out reviews on Amazon and iTunes I found that I wanted to say so much more. First of all, "Bethany" rocked so damn hard it shook my house. This movie enthralled me from the very beginning all the way to the ending credits. The acting was spot on and the casting for those parts was absolutely perfect. I knew that all the names I'm familiar with were going to do a great job but I have to say that Stefanie Estes was amazing. I had never heard of her but she has a new fan. It was great to see Shannen Doherty and Tom Green return to the screen. Zack Ward played a truly believable spouse.I've been saying this in most all of my reviews and I'll say it again. "This is by far your best psychological and paranormal motion picture." Amazing job James Cullen Bressack.