Texas Cult House, an Official Selection of the 2024 Austin Film Festival, serves up a slice of southern horror. Written and directed by Julia Barnett, this genre film weaves horror into a story exploring family dynamics and cults.
The camerawork was dynamic and impactful, I really enjoyed the cinematography by Alex Walker. The location and set dressing of the cult house was believable and unnerving.
The story is filled with compelling characters worth rooting for. Adrianne Palicki, plays Brittney, the mother of two teenagers- Austin (Julius Royale) and Hadley (Lydia Tracy). Austin asks his mother about their time with religious leader Deacon Jones, played by Ryan Cooper. We learn it is a topic the two promised never to discuss. There are definitely more secrets kept in this family and we soon learn more about them.
Ryan Cooper, who I last watched portray a cancer patient in I’LL BE THERE, was powerfully convincing as an extreme religious cult leader. The difference in his performances really showed his range as an actor. In I’LL BE THERE, he played a loving brother but as Deacon Jones, his countenance ranged between righteous zealousness to pure evil.
Although I didn’t understand the teenage behavior of the group of friends who visited the cult house, the fact is, it is not uncommon for audiences to question the behavior of characters in such films. When the past trauma endured by Austin is fully revealed, a lot of his behavior soon makes sense. With a second viewing of the movie, I picked up on story-points that gave me a better handle on why some characters reacted as they had. I was impressed with the story telling.
The powerful ending left me intrigued and sets the audience up for more to come with the backdrop established by Barnett. This is a world that I had never seen portrayed in quite this way. Take for example the sincerity of the characters’ belief about whether or not they were in a cult just because “they could leave.” I want to dive deeper into this universe. This among other things like the solid use of locations offered a lot to appreciate in this film. Texas Cult House was a stirring film that explores a fascinating world unfamiliar to me, filled with compelling characters worth rooting for.
-Melody Lopez, Producer, Filmmaker Mixer Podcast (posted by Madelyn, Filmmaker Mixer Correspondent)