GL84 Trying to recreate a famous encounter, a filmmaker interviews the participants involved in a research facility designed to study paranormal powers when the government got involved in one case where they wanted to turn one's powers into a military weapon.While this one was indeed quite enjoyable there's some rather prominent flaws on display. Among the biggest issues here is the actual method of filming this one which presents the film with several immediate problems. There's the main issue of this one cutting away from the story continuously in order to get the talking head interviews and their own personal accounts of what happened that doing so in this manner causes the film to be so start/stop in terms of its pace that it really can't generate much in terms of atmosphere or suspense when it has to cut away when something's interesting to come back to these. It' gives this a pretty disjointed feel when everything turns back into the interviews rather than letting the story play out as it normally would, which is another problem here. This one goes for brief inserts recreating what happened that are quite hard to make out the point of when they just spend the entire time going nowhere with the storyline as they don't lead up to anything except the next talking-head interview, and there's little to be gleaned from that type of structure. The other issue here is that it's highlighting how uneventful the first half of this one is where they go into the research institute's background and history with its' patients before getting her there as none of this is really all that involved in getting this one going along at an inviting pace with the main purpose of the film appearing so late into here since all of the lead-up time is taken on setting the stage here with not just the interviews but the footage shot documenting the very same thing we just heard them talk about. It lastly has the small problem of highlighting the fact that it spends the first half not knowing whether she's just gifted psychically or possessed, as if it can't make up it's mind what the actual cause is which makes for a slightly disappointing effort when it's not all that clear what's going on. Still, this one isn't all that bad as there's some good stuff involved here with the surprising feat of it not being all that boring at all, keeping this one moving along at a nice enough pace that there's not a whole lot really worth skipping over or just ignoring, blazing through here with a rather impressive pace that keeps this one going along rather nicely. That's due to the nice action at times here with some rather fun times showcasing not just her powers but also getting rather fun with the military intervention that comes along with all the different tortures they inflict on her and the powers they coax out of her which gradually leads into a rather fun time with what it's all leading to. Enhanced by all the off-stage accidents and testimony given earlier, it's all quite a bit of fun and leads to a great finish here that's quite chilling and enjoyable. These here make this good enough to matter, but it's still rather flawed.Rated R: Violence and Language.

ASouthernHorrorFan 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?".

akmcvearry I absolutely loved this movie! I know it's a "mockumentary" but I feel the cast really put themselves into the characters...I'm no critic or expert, just your average Josephine Schmo who loves the creepy and scary, with an otherwise sunny disposition...the character of Judith Winstead was beautifully played, along with all the other characters. This movie made me wish and want to believe The Atticus Institute was real, that Judith Winstead was a real person, much in the vein of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I see a lot of reviews that speak of the movie starting out great and then falling flat, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, that I firmly believe and respect. I will tell anyone reading this that I've had this movie on my dvr for a while now and the whole family knows not to erase mommys favorites! For me, this movies is a keeper for those times when you want to sit and immerse yourself in the creepy, scary, paranormal, supernatural, what have you...a great movie to give you the willies if you just let yourself enjoy it!

quincytheodore It presents an interesting direction for possession subgenre with authentic documentary flair. The film portrayal of titular institution goes beyond average found footage gimmick, its understanding of the presentation makes it as though audience is watching real documentary from science channel. However, parts of the film aren't as consistently polished and these issues stutter the pace and occasionally derail the tension it has built.Dr. Henry West (William Mapother) runs a small lab to research individuals said to have paranormal abilities. After a few failed endeavors, a woman named Judith Winstead (Rya Kihlstedt) is admitted to his lab. He and his colleagues have seen anything and anything like her, and the tests progress so sinisterly that eventually military is involved. Characters are pretty convincing at their roles, the use of exclusive camera footages without first hand interaction create credible effect.The Atticus Institute offers several unnerving thrills, although the production has few technical flaws. Half of the movie is witnesses' interviews, which sets up more psychological and scientific approach. At its best the film delivers timely bizarre occurrences that are effectively chilling. However, it doesn't pay off every time. These interviews can be tedious and predictable, especially since their testimonies alone aren't sufficient to produce tension.At midway point it feels that characters are overly narrating, especially since the scenes they mention are only partially captured. The film also describes events with clips and still images, they are short and some even look like slideshows. While this enhances its pseudo-documentary feel, its production is shabby. Furthermore, there are fumbles on editing as well as audio clarity. These issues could've been just minor hiccups, yet they are persistent enough to hamper the movie.The Atticus Institute has intriguing concepts, its clever style almost overcomes the genre familiarities, but ultimately the production isn't adequate enough to fully convey the suspense.