THE LONG NIGHT (aka Coven) ***** USA 2022 Dir: Rich Ragsdale. 91 mins
Scout-Taylor Compton stars as Grace Covington, a young woman who loves her partner Jack Cabot (Nolan Gerard Funk) but ultimately what she wants in her life is to find out who her parents were.
After years of fruitless searches, a man called Frank Caldwell (King Orba) calls her up and tells her to come meet him at a designated place as he has information that will get Grace closer then she realises to her much wanted results. The loving couple arrive at the location but are not greeted by Frank, instead they are soon surrounded by a satanic cult who want Grace so they can fulfil an ancient apocalyptic prophecy, and they will do everything they can to get her.
THE LONG NIGHT is a snappy affair giving Scout-Taylor Compton a chance to spread her acting chops a bit more. It may seem all over the place when you are watching it but once you get to the end it will all come together neatly and form a coherent story.
Rich Ragsdale clearly has used his skills he gained as a music video Director to give the film an interesting look and get the shots he wanted. The bizarre imagery and the atmospheric location of the film ready adds an extra dimension to this at times unnerving entry into the horror genre.
With its mixture of Lovecraftian flair, satanic panic, 1970s European horror tropes and house invasion theme there is something for everyone to enjoy in THE LONG NIGHT.
Review by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins
THE LONG NIGHT (aka Coven) is out now on physical media and also available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and Amazon Prime Video in the USA.