SECOND COMING - **

Directed by Jose Cassella, Starring Juliette Reeves, Greg Thompson, Melissa Gruver, Haley Boyle. Horror/Thriller, USA, 2009, Approx. 88 minutes.

Released in the UK on DVD by 2020 Films on 15th August 2011.

Lora and Ashley (both played by Juliette Reeves) are twin sisters who after a difficult childhood living with an abusive father, now live separate lives. Lora works in the city as a photographer, and Ashley still in her home town as a waitress. One morning, Lora wakes up having visions that something bad has happened to Ashley, and unable to contact her, she decides to go back home to investigate.

Through flashbacks, we find out early on what causes Ashley's disappearance. One afternoon while working in the local Diner, she meets Barry Drake (Greg Thompson), a married and upstanding family figure in the community, although this doesn't stop him from chatting her up. They arrange to meet in the evening for sex, although an accident in the bedroom results in Ashley's tragic death, and Barry panics, taking her body and dumping it in a secluded lake somewhere in the woods.

This event is what triggers the visions for Lora, explained by their connection as twins. As the visions get worse for Lora, she has no choice but to drive back to her home town and look for Ashley. Meanwhile, Barry’s relationship at home with his wife is strained. He also suffers from Tinnitus, and the ringing in his ears becomes more painful and unbearable following the events with Ashley.

As Lora's visions of Ashley become more pronounced and creepy, Lora is somehow guided to her sisters body, and finds a clue which links Ashley back to Barry. Armed with this information, she must decide what to do next, ensure justice is served or avenge her sister’s death.

Second Coming is a relatively straightforward film, with a simple plot which is easy to follow. The story moves along at a decent pace, and the apparitions of Ashley are effective, albeit sporadically used. The two lead characters are pretty well played which is important given they carry most of the film.

Overall however, whilst it doesn’t do anything wrong, Second Coming does suffer from the fact that it is routine and predictable, and just doesn’t have any real bite. As a result, despite some nice touches, it ends up turning into another fairly run of the mill thriller.

Dino Marabese