User reviews

The movie was on it's way to being a really good film minus some rough dialog, but i feel like they didn't know how to end the film and it just comes off as lazy writing, they did a great job with the atmosphere and cinematography but ending it like they did just felt like they didn't know how to land it.

There were some pretty good practical effects used so props to them for not going the CGI route but at the end of the day i feel like the ending hurt this film really bad. You can't build up suspense and atmosphere and never finish the story you started to tell, it's a real rug pull the audience because this film had potential to be great but a mediocre send off takes a lot of points off.

That is why I have to give it a 5 out of 10, It's such a shame because i was really invested in the story.

Whilst at a lovely little genre-festival in my home country, a mate and I had to choose between two appealing titles that were scheduled at the same time but in different screening rooms. Of course, we chose for the least mainstream one (*), playing in the much smaller screening room with uncomfortable stools! But hey, the plot of the film - "Black Mold" - sounded promising, and my pal told me writer/director John Pata previously worked as an editor on "The Stylist", which is a movie I quite liked.

Our gamble wasn't a success. We sort of went through the same process at the lead protagonists in the film. Like them, we went in exploring the unknown because it's our hobby, but when we walked out, we weren't exactly satisfied. Oh well, at least we still walked out alive and (relatively) sane. That's more than can be said for Brooke and Tanner.

For their passion of urban exploring, they travel across the USA and sneak into abandoned buildings full of mold, ramshackle floors, and other unforeseeable dangers. Brooke is a champion in scouting terrific locations, and she takes Tanner to a massive and remote former research facility. Once inside, they are confronted with a dangerously violent squatter who prevents them from leaving. While trapped in the facility overnight, the molded walls and floors cause Brooke and Tanner to go insane (at least, that's what I suspect was happening) like the squatter already has. Tanner sees his worst fears manifesting in front of him, and poor Brooke relives her childhood traumas over and over again.

There simply isn't enough content and horror material in "Black Mold". The film easily could have worked effectively as a short feature, but as a 1 ½ hour movie it's tedious, repetitive, and slow. John Pata attempts to compensate for the lack of action by endless talking. Especially Tanner babbles non-stop. At first you simply wish for him to keep his mouth shut, but as the running time strolls forward at a snail's pace, you actually wish for him to die painfully. Eventually Pata is forced to revert back to genuine and classic horror symbols (like scarecrows and werewolves) to generate some real tension and action, but none of it is credible. Agnes Albright is an adequate actress and the filming locations are atmospheric (we shouldn't expect anything less from urban explorers), but that's hardly enough to recommend "Black Mold" to anyone.

(*) the film that played in the other theater was "It Lives Inside", which I'm sure I'll watch at some point soon.

Clearly, they didn't have much money although the effects are pretty good. I just got a little annoyed with the characters just staying in the awful place with the mold and with the dangerous guy when they could easily walk somewhere else or at least breathe fresh air outside. Maybe if they couldn't exit the building so easily or if they established that people exposed to black mold don't have the common sense to get away from it then I could accept their actions more easily. I was hoping there would be transforming or some kind of unique monster but it's more just a drama with some tension. I was pretty engaged though.

Black Mold is a simple, yet effective, psychological horror.

It's not flashy.

Or laden with state of the art special effects.

But it's a solid little story; and has some pretty decent production quality!

In it, two up-and-coming photographers, head to a dilapidated location, with a storied history.

Only to find that it's inhabited by a homeless squatter...who warns them about what the darkness brings...if they find themselves stuck there, overnight.

Because- as you might have guessed from the film's title- the place is (apparently) filled with a type of black mold that causes their most deep seeded fears to become reality, in the form of hallucinations.

With that being said...it's a bit of a slow burner.

That is, for the most part, dramatically driven.

But it does manage to exude a, slight, air of tension.

And manages to keep you engaged enough, as you wait to see how it's all going to play out in the end.

As a result of it's relatively slow pace...you find yourself beginning to expect there to be an explosive twist at the end.

Though- while this, arguably, does play out- it ends on a weird note, that you can't help but feel is anti-climactic.

Even weirder, though, is the fact that- if it weren't for the title- you wouldn't have known the whole thing was driven by black mold at all.

You are completely left to deduce that based on the film's title alone.

Which isn't necessarily a fault.

But it doesn't really suggest mature writing skills, either.

That being said...it's entertaining enough.

But it could have been substantially better, if they just sussed out the narrative a little more thoroughly.

Particularly in regards to the ending.

But it is what it is.

3.5 out of 10.

When I sat down to watch the 2023 movie "Black Mold" from writer and director John Pata here in 2024, it was actually the first I had ever heard about it. So I literally didn't know what I was in for, aside from it being a horror movie of sorts. I was intrigued by the movie's title. And with it being a horror movie of sorts, then of course I had to watch it, given my love of all things horror.

While "Black Mold" proved to be watchable, I have to say that I was disappointed with the script. It was a fairly empty script. And I have to say that I didn't understand why Brooke (played by Agnes Albright) and Tanner (played by Andrew Bailes) just simply didn't walk out from the building and just simply walk away. It made zero sense for them to remain in the building with the things that were happening. Plus, the storyline just wasn't all that impressive.

The acting performances in the movie were fair, in all honesty. The only familiar face on the cast list, for me, was actor Jeremy Holm.

Sure, I managed to sit through the entire 92 minutes that the movie ran for, but I was only mildly entertained. This is not a horror movie that will find its way back on my screen a second time, however, as there hardly was sufficient contents for the first viewing. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend horror afficianados to go out of their way to track down and watch.

The movie was lacking a drive to engage the audience and invest themselves in the narrative and the characters. And the massive plot holes just wasn't really working out in favor of the movie.

Ultimately, not a particularly outstanding or memorable movie, but a watchable movie. My rating of writer and director John Pata's "Black Mold" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Sitting here, unable to sleep, feeling miserable with a head cold, I stumbled across this made by Tubi movie. So let me say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If I had more energy to write a proper review I could try to do it justice, but if nothing else I'll put my vote out there.

Starts off, first third feels like an art film. Camera work is good. Main actress good. Those YouTube videos of old buildings, abandoned places... take that creepy backdrop and then apply some original ideas for a story, and you start to get a feel for this well done movie.

Just a small cast but everyone held there own. The story keeps you pulled in tight, and there are things to keep considering... why, what, who, how. Good stuff.

Near the end...The initial credit scene, before the text centric credits, brought back that eerie vibe you got at the start. It is truly unrelated, but it somehow reminded me of The Walking Dead's opener. Maybe I was imagining it, but I really dug it regardless.

This isn't a new concept for a film. People go into decrepit places and unusual events happen. Instead of the supernatural occurring, this film follows the idea of "What is real and what is imagined?" I liken it to Session 9 as we aren't certain what is happening even though we are seeing what the characters see.

The set up has a mildly amateurish quality foreshadowing the idea of fear. But both of the main actors do well with less than stellar script dialogue in the beginning. Once the movie moves into the second section, the plot begins to expand into what is the meat of the story, and now acting and mood improve.

I was drawn to this film waiting for the reveal and loved that ambiguity remained a central point but with enough clarity that I wasn't frustrated. I was questioning in the film, uncertain of what was imagined or what was real, and I never felt completely lost. Decent low budget yet quality film.

Trying to find more content, a group of urban explorers decide to visit a haunted mental asylum that no one else wants to, but the more they stay there for their videos they come to find that the black mold in the facility may not be responsible for the visions they face of their greatest fears.

This one wasn't that bad for what it is. One of the finest features here is the impressive setup that generates a highly entertaining time in a genuinely creepy atmosphere throughout. Building off the workable main setup which focuses on the couple going through the abandoned buildings and finding their potential target in a derelict building left empty with tons of ragged clothing, decaying furniture, and absolutely decaying artifacts left behind that once signaled someone lived there but not recently, this allows the storyline to generate a rather creepy and chilling tone inside. The backstory of the location ties in immensely well with the physical appearance of it, giving everything an appropriate context so the whole idea of something creepy happening in a creepy location that no one can be sure is real is not all comes together to generate a kind of impressive setup for everything to work off of. As they continue around the facility and start to encounter a series of weird events, there's a lot to enjoy here. The first instances that something's happening with the idea that the facility is making them hallucinate various dreams and memories of their past, the introduction of the squatter living there who captures them and starts trying to screw with their minds is a fine way of going about bringing in the plots in the second half where they're so at odds with each other the situation rapidly deteriorates. As everyone is at odds with everyone else due to the stress of the situation and the hazardous location they find themselves in, this all sets in motion a frenetic final half as the whole idea of not knowing what's real or not means that the encounters with the scarecrows, the stalker chasing them through the hallways of the building or the hallucinations of their past coming to interact with them has some worthwhile elements presents. These are all enough to make the film likable although there are some issues with this one that do bring it down. The main detriment here is the unnecessary decision to include the squatter who lives in the building as this doesn't end up adding anything to the film. His inclusion in the film stalls the momentum considerably with the unnecessary stalking antics, holding them captive in his living quarters, and taking the focus away from the far more intriguing idea of the building coming to affect their health and well-being by going far more into repeated conversations about their past influencing how they react. It's not in the slightest bit interesting or chilling and really only enhances the running time. That does come to pass in the other factor here where a lot of the encounters do get drained of their genre thrills with the way it plays out with everything here turning into a confusing mess rather than anything, and overall, these issues all come together to bring this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.

I was scrolling through Tubi and Black Mold movie appeared. Horror movies are my go to, so I started watching. I laughed numerous times, more towards the middle/end of the movie. I had to pause the movie because I was laughing so hard during certain scenes, I didn't want to miss anything and even replayed some scenes that were very funny. Tanner is absolutely hilarious and goofy. Brooke is great, too. Both did a fantastic job acting and are great actors!!! Now I am looking to find other movies with these characters too watch. There is still an enigma about this movie. Will watch it again soon.

No pun intended - the movie is quite simple I reckon. Many horror movies are if you boil it or them down to be fair. But does it have to be complicated? I think not - and in a sense there still is a lot here to wrap your mind around anyway - how and why ... and especially what ... as in real and reality of course.

The acting is fine and there are enough jump scares and overall good effects to keep you entertained ... the twists work too, well mostly that is. I assume most will be able to guess where this is heading ... at least overall. So yes the sensible thing would have been to run away early ... but we wouldn't have a movie, if characters always did the sensible things, would we? Exactly.