I Watch 'Em So You Don't Have To

HORROR BY THE NUMBERS DONE A BIT BETTER




11-11-11 (aka 11-11-11: The Prophecy) 2011 US/Spain

I think most probably they tacked on 'The Prophecy' after the abysmal other movie came out just to make sure we knew the difference. I don't think they had much to worry about - although this is not the greatest of movies it is far superior than the horrid movie I reviewed 3-1-13 also called 11/11/11 (with slashes instead of dashes but I couldn't really tell you why). This mostly takes place in Barcelona, Spain and although like I said it isn't great it was still kind of interesting although you could see the ending come a mile away - if you use my horror worksheet (patent pending) of course.

People are desperate for guidance. I should say some people are and they will look to any source they think is credible. Although the Bible prohibits divination, the looking for signs, portents, and other kinds of 'extra' knowledge has been known since almost the beginning of man. That includes looking to numbers for signs. While the Bible itself is known to use numbers to emphasize things, like things repeated 3 times usually meant real significance, the number 7 was known for completeness or perfection (hence the devil is sometimes referred to as 666 because that's three times a number less than perfection), numbers were NOT used as a divining tool. 

We have the sad story of writer Joseph, who lost both wife and son in a fire. He's in a support group of journal writers although his agent is pushing him to start writing novels again. He meets a girl named Sadie who listens to his growing fear of the number 11-11 because he is starting to see it come up more and more in his life. 

It is the time of death on his son's certificate, it's usually when he wakes from nightmares of the two of them burning, and it's the time his watch stops when he's involved in a car accident. After his release from the hospital he receives a call from his crippled brother Samuel from Spain who informs him their dad is dying. He has been estranged from both of them for a long time, but decides to go anyway.

Once in Spain he sees a lot of things that make him uneasy and to believe that this numbers thing is really a warning of sorts. Through kind of contrived events (Hey, we've got to keep the movie rolling, right?) he becomes convinced, although being Atheist, that something is going to happen to his father and brother on 11-11-11. Why? 

Among other things his brother Samuel (Michael Landes who I really liked in the Sy Fy series Special Unit 2) had installed motion sensitive cameras around the house and starting in November the cameras capture each night at 11:11 ghostly appearances of people - first only a couple, but more and more as the eleventh day approaches. A strange thing Joseph is also noticing is some kind of roots making their way into the house - they wind around his computer cords, they're attached to a candelabra that almost smashes his brother, they're appearing everywhere. That is never explained but adds to his fear.

The Spanish caretaker also is a bit strange - she also has a journal but insists that it is 'the gospel according to me'. All these things together start to convince the non-spiritual Joseph that something not of this world is happening and his brother is definitely in danger. Suddenly Sadie shows up and appears to support him and try to help him. But nothing is as it really appears.

With all the portents and 11-11 stuff and his brother preaching at him at every opportunity, he starts to get his head turned around and all he knows for sure (he thinks) is that his brother is in danger and he is the one to protect him. His father had told him that Samuel's birth was a miracle and Joseph was always meant to take care of him. So the big day comes and their father dies. That night all the figures show up, looking grotesque and having huge bat-like wings and Samuel is held up for slaughter. Joseph interferes at the last moment, getting stabbed by the things with something that was meant for Samuel and all disappear. While Joseph dies, Samuel stands over him, triumphant.

Yes, 11-11-11 was the big day - for Samuel. He has not been there for a gateway to be opened as everything has been pointing to, but to 'close a window'. He is evil and the grotesque figures had been there to prevent him from becoming the new 'Leader'. Umm, okay. I'm not going to pretend to understand why angels would be grotesque and why it would all be so... evil seeming but thanks to Joseph 'saving' his brother, he has brought about 'The End' as Samuel is now free to write his own Gospel, his own religion, his own world I guess. In the end he stands before his congregation, which includes all those who Joseph had thought to be his friends, such as Sadie, his agent, etc. Evil now reigns.

Okay this movie had a lot of flaws but hey, it was well done, had great imagery, the acting was good and it is definitely worth a look. If you can get over the total DUH factor of evil seeming good and good seeming evil.