the audience applauded

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The Death of April's often slow pace may not be for everyone, but it's a sleek, well-executed entry into the found footage genre! Say what you will about the pacing of this suspense thriller, with today's attention-deficit-affected theater-going audience, the slow and steady build up is becoming an endangered art form. For all of its supposed flaws (and even huge-budget Hollywood films are plagued with flaws aplenty), The Death of April is nonetheless executed with an obvious professionalism. In my view, this indie endeavor is one of those 'If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a real documentary' films on the level of The Blair Witch Project and Lake Mungo.Katarina Hughes as Meagen Mullen and Adam Lowder, playing her brother Stephen Mullen, are a true power-combo. The dynamic of their brother-sister on-screen relationship is super-organic, down to the tit-for-tat playful annoyances typically shared by siblings. I literally laughed out loud at some of their antics being general goofs and pain in the butts to one another. These are stars in the making, if Hollywood plays its cards right. And they're supported by a strong cast of equal talents.Travis Peters is genuine and effective as Meagen's father, left feeling powerless to change what has happened, and looking distraught and confounded, but composed for the camera. The same goes for the performance by Stephanie Domini, playing Meagen's mother. The parents come off 100% real, shell-shocked and dismayed. And Stephanie, through body language and speech intonation, even hints at a certain resolve that at the end is actually suggested during the film's epilogue.Each interview feels real, from the police officer, and the paranormal investigator, down to the psychotherapist. And believe me, I watched every nuance, every blink, and listened carefully to every word.It's extremely difficult to make a feature film, and even more difficult to make a decent feature that doesn't completely suck. Especially when you're hustling and grinding for every penny to get it done. Writer and director Ruben Rodriquez and his crew of talent clearly got it done. The result gives us a decent freshman entry into the world of feature film production!!!Bottom line: The Death of April is certainly worth a watch.

Even though this movie is a low-budget found-footage style film, I really hoped there would be a redeemable bit to it. Sadly there was not. The acting is passable I suppose and the story is OK. It starts slow and ends almost as slowly as it began. No shocks or scares and not even an ounce of suspense in the whole movie. I believe there can still be life found in this genre and that has been evident in films such as "Afflicted" and "The Borderlands." Having a large budget does not equal a better horror film. A good story and gripping atmosphere can lift a possible mediocre movie into the area of one of the best found-footage horror films. It's a small group because most of them are garbage.