Invoking Yell Movie Review – This Black Metal Horror Shocks and Horrifies the Senses

The Blair Witch Project remains overrated and overhyped, with zero scares or terror to speak of – beyond the horror of the snotball hanging from Heather’s nose as she talks to the camera. Naturally, apprehension lingered that Patricio Valladares’ Invoking Yell would also flop on the fear factor scale. After all, it’s filmed on a handheld camera and also takes place in the woods, so…

Set in 1997 in Chile and filmed like an old-school VHS tape, Invoking Yell follows Andrea (María Jesús Marcone) and Tania (Macarena Carrere) who head off into the woods to record a music video for their upcoming black metal band. The person recording the trip and video is Ruth (Andrea Ozuljevich), who isn’t a cinematographer by any means but she has access to a camera so she’ll serve that role for them. From the get-go, it’s evident that Andrea doesn’t like Ruth; she puts up with her because she needs her and working for free. Oh, nothing could go wrong here, right?

A look into what it meant to be a black metal band in the ’90s

The early stages of Invoking Yell prove to be hilarious for anyone who has worked in the music industry and has familiarity with the black metal scene. Barry Keating and Patricio Valladares write a wicked script that takes a tongue-in-cheek approach on how the genre and bands often take themselves too seriously, becoming something of a caricature in the process. For example: Andrea doesn’t want her band to be categorized as black metal, but as “depressive suicidal black metal.” She’s a supreme edgelord, discussing recording electronic sounds that are messages from the dead and believing her own hype a little too much. On the other hand, Tania appears to only be going along with it – not believing in it as much as Andrea, but indulging herself in the “culture.” For Ruth, she’s a fan and only wants to know more about the group – in fact, she asks good questions that annoy Andrea.

The first two acts feature the three girls plodding around, seeing a bunch of branches where black metal bands probably get logo ideas from and chatting about iconic groups like Emperor and Dimmu Borgir. A tension simmers in the air between Andrea and Ruth, in particular, but it never boils over beyond a few casual insults and putdowns. It takes a while to get going, but the third act kicks in with a double-bass-like aggression. Much like the music Andrea and Tania play, it gets extreme and fast. The events put the audience on a knife edge, refusing to let up and choking every breath and gasp with an onslaught of violence and creepiness galore. 

The found-footage style adds scary authenticity

Anyone who has watched I Spit on Your Grave (either the original or remake) knows it’s a tough watch, especially in the moments in which the main character feels powerless to protect herself. There’s a scene in Invoking Yell that hits just as hard because of the found-footage nature and sinister atmosphere. It’s raw, primal, and uneasy for the viewer because of the realness of what’s taking place.

The actors deserve all the praise for selling the believability of the premise and shocking authenticity seen on screen. María Jesús Marcone, in particular, is on course to be a mega star, and Hollywood better gobble her up soon because she has all the tools to electrify the horror genre. Her presence is nothing short of magnetic and she terrifies as Andrea – becoming one of the scariest characters in recent years. Take nothing away from her co-stars, but Marcone’s performance unnerves the audience at every corner.

Is Invoking Yell worth watching?

Make no mistake – Invoking Yell is everything The Blair Witch Project should have been. While it’s fair to say it’s able to run for the hills because its predecessor walked, there’s no comparison here. Not only is Invoking Yell an intriguing film about the genre of black metal, especially with its callbacks to shocking events from its history, but it’s also one of the most terrifying found-footage films ever made. Moral of the story? Don’t go out into the woods!

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