DVD Review: Armynel

By Brad Henderson

Indie films hardly stand a chance against mainstream films and even more so in the horror genre. Indie horror films are getting more popular these days, but big studio films still overrun them. It’s even worse when indie horror is released through a smaller distribution label and is only available to purchase online and not on Netflix or Amazon. Midnight Releasing is one of those companies who seems to have difficulty getting their name out there, but that is why we are here.

Films like Armynel and many others need to be discussed because they never get a good start when you can’t find them in Wal-Mart or other stores or unless you happen upon a used copy. Even the chances of that are slim because hardly anyone buys these films in the first place. That doesn’t mean these movies are bad or anything, it’s just that they don’t have near the amount of coverage as most mainstream horror.

Armynel feels kind of like a Twilight Zone episode. That said, it has a decent story but don’t think that you will see something that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s is a story of a girl with a haunted past that she has somewhat blocked as she has grown older but she has flashbacks of certain images that she cannot understand. She only has a creepy mask from her past to give her any insight of what has happened to her so she goes to a psychiatrist in hopes of regaining her memory and tries to recollect anything she can. With each session she begins to uncover more until the film reveals the unexpected.

Armynel is one of those titles that was dismissed very quickly. Psychological horror is one subgenre that doesn’t flood our eyes or streaming devices and I kind of like it that way. Armynel does all the things a psychological horror film should. It keeps you guessing until the very end and it remains interesting until the credits roll.

Armynel was released by Midnight Releasing on July 16, 2013.