Yes,
this cursed app is the work of demonic forces, but its still not as evil as
Huawei. It foretells the time of downloaders’ death, but any attempt to alter
its prophecies makes it ferociously angry. Those with impending dooms who try
to cheat fate are in for some uncanny torment in Justin Dec’s Countdown, which opens this week in
Brazil (having recently released on DVD here in the U.S.).
The
victim of the prologue reluctantly downloads the “Countdown” app after
succumbing to drunken peer pressure. That’s never a good idea in horror movies.
Even though she refuses her inebriated boyfriend’s offer of a ride home, she
still perishes in a freak accident. That rather makes him a believer, since he
did indeed plow his car into a tree. It turns out his countdown is nearly up
too. RN-in-training Quinn Harris tries to talk sense to him, but he inevitably
dies at the precisely foretold second as well. That rather unnerves her, since
she also has the infernal app at this point—and it says she only has a matter
of days.
Of
course, everyone is downloading Countdown, so she soon finds another
short-timer to team up with. She and Matt Monroe seek salvation from cell phone
stores and the Catholic Church. In this case, the latter is more helpful, but
only after they find a pop-culture fanboy Father who self-taught himself
demonological lore.
In
fact, it is when Father John finally appears that Countdown really starts to perk up. Arguably, the first act is
largely derivative of the Final
Destination franchise. However, P.J. Byrne’s likably loopy portrayal of the
good Father and his character’s intriguing exorcism strategies crank up the
energy and taps into some deep Blatty-esque good vs. evil themes.
Frankly,
the supporting players consistently outshine the bland leads. Elizabeth Lail is
certainly earnest enough as Harris and she has a nice deadpan scene with a
really ugly drunk, but it is Byrne’s Father John and Tom Segura snarking up the
screen as Derek the cellphone guy whom viewers will really remember. Peter
Facinelli is also appropriately loathsome and slimy as Harris’s Weinstein-esque
ER doctor.
