the audience applauded

That was an excellent one.

Thanks for the memories!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It surprises me the low average rate this movie has. The multitude of films out there that's not even watchable to the end about similar subjects are huge, yet many has got a higher rating. I don't know if the crowd watching this "low/middle-budget" film are expecting more blood and guts or what? This is quite a scary movie in the way that it deals with a subject actually practiced on a large scale by the CIA in the late 60-mid 70's. It's no fiction, Clinton even apologized for "the hundreds of thousands of civilians, mental patients, prisoners and military personnel abused by the government's in experiments" (among other projects the s.c "MK-ULTRA"). There is a lot of lies flying around the net about these experiments, but what makes this movie interesting is that even Reagan admitted to consulting mediums and (I don't really know the American term for it) "far-seers", people who claimed they could see Soviet activity from USA through their minds, and had used it for his decision-making. That's more than a bit worrying, and it's basically what this movie deals with.It's a well made movie, scary for those knowing what dealing with the occult from a "scientific" point of view (or any other) could result in. The actors all do a credible job, and it deserves being watched. One of the better movies on this subject made.

I rarely, if ever, enjoy the 'found footage/ faux documentary' genre of films. The majority of these films feel contrite and fake at best. Some filmmakers have based their entire career on these types of movies, most notably the 'Paranormal Activity' or 'REC' series. The Atticus Institute is perhaps the same type of film, but it does have a remarkably intriguing plot that separates it from the majority of these films.The film deals with a group of scientists running a small psychology laboratory during the 1970's. The focus of their research is on those individuals who have extra-behavioural abilities; ESP, psychokinetic powers, and things that are considered mostly in the realm of parapsychology. The lead scientist, Dr. West, and his group of researchers run an underfunded observation department, focusing on the documentation of paranormal abilities. After years of research, the institutes credibility falls into jeopardy, and what little funding there was, begins to dissipate. Enter Judith Winstead (arguably the main character of the film and very well portrayed by Rya Kihlstedt) is a withdrawn and a somewhat vacant woman capable of truly remarkable things. The story unfolds as a series of interviews between various individuals of interest in centered around Judith's life and her time at the Atticus Institute.What makes this movie more interesting that most is an excellent blend of plot devices. They vary from act to act, and allow the viewer to delve deeper into this unusual story. There are a range of ideas that the film covers, outside of just the strange tests they put before her, her exceptional 'Godlike' performance level. As the movie progresses, the scientist find the source of Judith's remarkable power, and it becomes a slightly different kind of film. I really enjoyed this subtle switch in direction, and was surprised at how well they were blended together. It's a slight shift in theme, but what begins as a research into the abnormal, becomes a movie about possession and the occult. I really enjoyed that, and it's done in such a way that it doesn't seem so ridiculous. By the second act the military becomes involved, although it seems like such a preposterous plot twist, it is so smoothly done that it feels like a natural progression of the documentary.There are some rather silly effects throughout the film, a couple of rather predictable jump scares, and several other things that perhaps with a little more effort from post-production could have been avoided. Most notably for me was the clarity of the video footage from the 70's, and how it doesn't quite fit with the technology of the time. The digital post production to age the film was a bit too clean for me, but it works. The focus of the 'declassified files' was far too quick to skim over for the viewer, within the allotted time given to read them. However, I actually paused the film at these moments and thought they were fairly interesting, and they lend a lot into the story line. They certainly contain key information never discussed by any of the interviewees, and they are worth checking out.Overall, this film was much better than I anticipated, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the thriller/ horror genre. It is an interesting interpretation of what might happen if the Military were to investigate a confirmed case of possession.6/10

The story is one that plays on the conspiracy lore revolving around the scientific experiments done for the military in the late 70's. "The Atticus Institute" is framed in a documentary style with faux footage from the actual case involving the study of telekinesis and especially the study of one extraordinary subject- Judy Winstead. The film does pull in the whole concept that these abilities are "gifts" from entities that possess the person with supernatural abilities. Something I was also told growing up, by the people in my Baptist Church and the Christian people in my family. It is a pretty cool concept to explore in a horror film. This time around though- the subject is sort of a missed opportunity. "The Atticus Institute" stays pretty sterile, and devoid of emotion as it plays out all too familiar themes and heavy stylized formats which permeate the possession subgenre, and the "mockumentary/found footage" subgenre as well. Sparling doesn't actually fail at presenting the story, it is a fascinating tale and Judy Winstead offers a truly creepy character, but sadly everything is cookie cutter, done-to-death gimmicks, and ideas. There isn't really a lot of creativity in "The Atticus Institute" beyond the initial concept of the military trying to control a demonically possessed person for some twisted warmongering ideology. The special effects are expected displays of visual parlor tricks mixed with played-out demonic possession material seen time and time again in these films. There are some moments that get creepy, and gory. Some of the early test scenes with Judy jumping through the scientific hoops are nicely done. Unfortunately all the aspects of this are so obvious and expected that there is no real suspense or thrill. It all really has the same quality of effect on the movie goer as those television paranormal documentary series were you know exactly what is about to happen in the recreation because they all but told you so just moments before. "The Atticus Institute" doesn't really give itself space to build up for some much needed scary moments-and there was plenty of opportunity for some real thrills. Overall "The Atticus Institute" is one of those mediocre horror films that you can coast your way through if you are just determined to watch it. There isn't any real connection given between the character development and the audience. The horror and chilling elements aren't really scary or affective unless you are 12 and really creeped out by demons and paranormal stuff. The one real show of awesomeness is Judy Wintead, and the way the actress-Rya Kilhstedt portrays her. Unfortunately the framing device and story arc is so done to death, that it becomes a bit boring and you find yourself asking "why am I watching this?".

Frankly I am very fond of horror movies especially those involving demonic possessions based on true stories. Well 'The Atticus Institute' certainly falls in that genre. The best thing that I liked about this movie was the way in which the story was told, shot more like a documentary, depicting events using recorded footage's. In addition there were certain events in the movie which are based on true stories.The movie starts at a slow pace but in a unique way uses some of the characters to narrate the incidents that occurred in 1976 at a paranormal institute. This film takes its time to build the tension and suspense but it does so masterfully that in the end you are left wandering what you are watching is not really happening.A film is only as good as the cast, which made me wonder how difficult it was to play the Judith Winstead's character. But hats off to Rya Kihlstedt (Judith Winstead), she was absolutely marvelous from the beginning to the end. The movie is written and directed by Chris Sparling who also directed movies like Buried. The Atticus Institute also has some really scary scenes with the demonic possession display shot to perfection.Overall I can say 'The Atticus Institute' is a movie that in a unique way provides a lot of suspense. Initially one can find the movie a bit slow but I can assure you as the movie moves forward it will captivate your imagination making it hard to believe that what you are watching is not real. I really enjoyed watching this movie so will rate it 7/10.