63
Director Blair Erickson surely has style to burn, even if he oftentimes betrays his atmospheric shorthand and gets cold feet at the most inopportune moments.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
58
Blending supernatural hokum with real horrors of U.S. history — namely, the MKUltra experiments performed by the CIA in the 1950s — The Banshee Chapter superficially resembles some lost episode of "The X-Files."
70
Proving the “Paranormal Activity” formula can still work when used with canny restraint, Erickson achieves good results with long, eerie found-footage takes that end in jolts.
60
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
Blair Erickson’s inventive low-budget horror film doesn’t fully live up to its provocative premise, and its extensive use of the found-footage style gives it an all too familiar feel. But it offers some genuine scares along the way, as well as a terrific performance by the ever-reliable Ted Levine.
65
Where The Banshee Chapter thrives is the overwhelming claustrophobia of the film.
75
RogerEbert.com by Sheila O'Malley
Like "Cat People", The Banshee Chapter is both elegant and terrifying.
60
Los Angeles Times by Sheri Linden
The central drama never fully engages, but the jolts that Banshee delivers are check-the-locks scary.