Believers

This film about two paramedics who are kidnapped by a disturbed suicide cult will probably not garner a "cult” following, but Believers does manage to squeeze a few creepy moments out of a predictable script. Paramedics David (Johnny Messner) and Vic (Jon Huertas) are called out to a rural gas station to help an unconscious woman. While the two men attempt to revive the patient, a group of gun-toting cult members arrive and take them hostage. While being held in the cult’s underground bunker, they learn that the Teacher (Daniel Benzali), the creepy leader of the math-worshiping group, has calculated a plan to escape the coming destruction of the Earth. Directed by Daniel Myrick, of The Blair Witch Project fame, this low-budget, straight-to-DVD film manages to rise above its station, though when all is said and done the paint-by-numbers plot would be more at home as a "very special” episode of TV’s The Outer Limits. Some thought and imagination have been put into the special features for this disc, including interviews with the "cult members,” a tour of the compound, and an explanation of the Believers’ philosophy. The effort to create content that adds to the film is appreciated, exceeding what the average big budget release usually provides. It is too bad that the brief glimpse into the cult mind we see in the special features doesn’t come across in the actual film, as it may have made it more interesting and engaging. There is, of course, the standard commentary track by Director Myrick and writer Julia Fair. While Believers is a step above the average straight-to-DVD fare, it didn’t merit a theatrical run for a good reason. There is nothing particularly bad about this film, it just never manages to move above the mediocre level, entertaining by omission rather than commission.