Indie films. I can usually find something I like about almost all of them because they represent the willingness of a storyteller to take risks and experiment with new ideas. The nice thing with Infliction is that I don't have to dig for nice things to say.This isn't a big budget Hollywood film, but really, that's a blessing these days. I miss story, I miss films that ask tough questions, and I miss stories about characters. Infliction delivers in all of these areas. It's a hard film to watch sometimes because it asks hard questions and makes you as the viewer answer them yourself. There's also no soundtrack to lead you down a breadcrumb trail to "How should I feel about what's happening?"This film embraces the "challenges" associated with making an indie film on a tight budget and turns them into benefits. Innovation comes from being forced to solve problems, and the filmmakers and actors of Infliction are up to the task.The actors feel like a family - more so than many big budget offerings - and that makes this a film that pulls you in and makes you truly uncomfortable in that way films about such a heavy topic must.Yes, it's entertaining, and there are definitely things about the movie that are fun, but at its core, Infliction is a powerful film designed to make you think and ask questions. It has great acting in many, many scenes, and a slow reveal that might just have you rethinking the way you see society and families.

This is one of most intense films I have seen in my life time. Jack Thomas Smith and his cast have truly took the found footage genre and given it a shot in the arm! The film is hard to watch, but at the very same time I couldn't look away! This is what a True Horror film in 2015 needs to be! The fact that this was totally shot on Go Pros and hand held cameras isn't so much the original thing about this movie, but what is original is how they (cast and crew) created a "flow" using those cameras that at times makes you forget that this isn't a big budget film. Also a great use of prac effects instead of trying to do everything with new tech.

I admit that I am a fan of "found footage" or "assembled footage" type films. The problem is, there are too many of them, and for the most part, they all fall into the same trap which is, "Why would you be holding a camera when there's such chaos all around you?" Well, finally, there is a found footage film that manages to avoid this trap and deliver a smart, gritty horror film. Actually, I consider it a dark drama, with horrific elements, as writer/director Jack Thomas Smith certainly does not shy away from the violence.John (Jason Mac) and Kenny (Elliott Armstrong) Stiles are two brothers who are on a murder spree, which, they have decided to document on video. Why they decided to make the choice to record their mayhem is an integral part of the film which I will not divulge other than to say that it is one of the smartest conceits I have seen in a film in a long time.Along the way, the story of how they got to this point slowly unwinds, with scenes of graphic violence peppered throughout the film. However, this is NOT a "torture porn" film by any remote stretch. The violence makes perfect sense in the context of the film and I like the fact that Smith does not shy away from it. The film is gritty, intense and very realistic during these sequences.One of the things I liked best about the film is that it takes time to explore the human emotions behind the violence. The two brothers become much more than hyper-violent monsters, and, as odd as it my seem, I found myself rooting for them more than once. At the very least, the viewer begins to come to some level of understanding and even empathy for the brothers as they attempt to come to terms with their past.Another great facet of the film are the many psychological levels to it. Are we born evil, or does our environment make us that way, or is it some combination of the two? It's the time honored nature vs. nurture debate taken to a high level. "Infliction" is a film that is well written to the point that it could probably be used during a Psychology class and no, I am not kidding about that.If you are looking for a horror movie that is just a pile of cheap scares and gore, then I'm sorry, "Infliction" is not for you. This film is more a study of how people can be driven to unspeakable acts of violence, and it's a very effective study at that. It also explores notions of justice and revenge-as-justice, and tries to answer the question, "Is there a difference?" Following John and Kenny Stiles forces us to really think about how we can come to terms with our past, or if it's even possible to do so. The two actors playing the brothers have amazing chemistry and the dynamic between the two is extremely believable. In fact, all of the characters in the film, even ones that display monstrous behavior, are believable. (I must point out there that actor Don Henderson Baker, who plays the boys father, does so with a level of intensity that would make me pay very close attention to him if he lived next to me!) Overall, "Infliction" is the found footage film I have been waiting for. The fact that it's an indie film is all the more amazing. This is a well written, well acted, and well shot film that is one on my favorite films of the year.

You have to pay attention to what's going on, which is to be expected when watching a "grown up" movie. Sorry, read a couple of reviews that are total b.s. on here. The movie's great, the acting is great, especially the lead & the father, and for anyone who knows the first thingabout camera perspective films, the camera work including consistent eye lines, is flawless. Don't listen to any negative reviews, watch it for yourself. As for not being a "torture porn" flick, I find it very refreshing to watch a movie that involves violence and gore without showing naked young women getting tortured, maimed and killed..I happen to like women..very much. Jack Thomas Smith, very well done.