Mind Body Spirit – Movie Review (4/5)

MIND BODY SPIRIT is a found-footage horror movie with a yoga influencer character in the lead, an overall tiny cast, and a supernatural plot. A very effective horror movie that even does jumpscares right. Read our full Mind Body Spirit review here!

MIND BODY SPIRIT is a new found-footage horror movie that you’ll definitely want to check out. In so many amazing ways, this movie just makes the most of its budget, plot, and very small cast. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a horror movie with a yoga influencer as the lead character, but I loved it.

The runtime is just 1 hour and 20 minutes, which is also perfect for the flow and pace of the story. Sarah J. Bartholomew is the star of this movie in every sense of the word. She’s in every scene, and we’re following her wild journey into self-discovery that takes a turn for the dark. Actually, it’s downright sinister!

Continue reading our Mind Body Spirit movie review below. Find it on Digital from May 7, 2024.

Want to be a yoga influencer?

If ever you wanted to be a yoga influencer, then Mind Body Spirit will cure you of that. Just kidding, as it isn’t the practice of yoga that makes this a horror movie, but rather an old book full of ancient rituals. I always find myself thinking “Has nobody watched Evil Dead?” whenever they embark on reading out loud from weird books.

However, for this particular horror story, the book was left behind by the lead character’s grandmother. Anya has just inherited her grandmother’s old house and before she finds the book, she also discovers a huge part of the house. Including a strange room and a huge attic.

Both would have made me leave the house immediately. And if not then, the things that happen next most certainly would have. You see, I have actually watched a whole lot of horror movies, so I already know that this cannot end well for Anya.

From self-help to despair

Anya has never met her grandmother, but the book (along with the house) was left for her. While Anya’s mom begs her to leave the place and recognizes that her grandmother was not a good person, Anya looks at it all like some sort of fate.

What starts as a spiritual self-help guide that Anya follows to kick off her aspiring career as a yoga influencer turns into something very sinister. The only other person in Anya’s house is an already established lifestyle influencer who tries to help Anya get started – because Anya’s mother asks her to.

While Anya is portrayed wonderfully (and also creepily, at times) by Sarah J. Bartholomew, the influencer Kenzi is portrayed by Madi Bready. I loved how we also got to watch commercials for various products that sponsor these influencers.

Not least seeing Kenzi from KenziFit in her element. A great detail that made it all come alive and feel very real.

Found footage or screenlife?

While I’m calling Mind Body Spirit a found footage movie, it’s actually more of a “screenlife” production. The difference – which isn’t always possible to truly define – is that we’re simply watching the entire story unfold via interaction with various devices. Whether a computer camera, a Facetime call, or some other recording.

Found footage could be something recorded on just an old-school camera that is in no way digital, whereas a screenlife story is entirely digital at its core.

This movie is recorded on various screens exactly like the crime mystery Searching and the pandemic horror movie Host. In its nature, Mind Body Spirit is more like the latter as this too is a horror movie, and something supernatural – and very sinister – is wreaking havoc.

Watch Mind Body Spirit on Digital now!

The co-directors and co-screenwriters of Mind Body Spirit are Alex Henes and Matthew Merenda and this is their feature debut. With that in mind, I cannot wait to see what they do next! Also, Topher Hendricks is a co-writer of the story and should obviously get a mention here.

As much as you might get irritated with the lead character, she never acts out of character for what we know about her. That’s a very important detail when creating a horror movie around just one person.

Also, apart from one particular scene, I even loved the special effects used. Especially as they were sparse and moving the camera was often used instead. Smart filmmaking that even serves as an added horror move. Brilliant, really!

Having watched this movie, it is easy to understand why it won the Audience Award for Best Feature at Unnamed Footage Festival 2024. This must have been a blast to watch at a genre film festival.

Not only does it manage to deliver a strong horror story with solid jumpscares, but it also blends this horror with a very relevant and poignant social commentary. The movie premiered at the Telluride Horror Show, which served as a great starting point for even more film festival appearances.

Now you too can enjoy this supernatural screenlife shocker and you definitely should!

Mind Body Spirit is available on digital on May 7, 2024.

Details

Directors: Alex Henes, Matthew Merenda
Screenwriters: Alex Henes, Matthew Merenda
Cast: Sarah J. Bartholomew, Madi Bready, KJ Flahive, Anna Knigge, Kristi Noory