Lo (2009) User Reviews

No Money, No Problem

[evileyereviews · 7/10 · 18 November 2010]

What Lo lacks in financial backing it makes up with extreme originality in order to tell its story. Pitfalls are turned into opportunities, making business moguls jealous of its commerce of fiscal efficiency. The result is not perfect, but wickedly entertaining nonetheless. The script is the first step towards admiration or atrocity, with Lo hurdling over the trappings of disaster with its high school simplicity done fabulously right. The acting was surprisingly good, with the beast's humorous sentiments only to be challenged by our hero's facial contortions ala the school of Bruce Campbell. Direction is admirably industrious with its paucity of resources. Where production values are woeful, such as sound, lighting, etc, the audience is moved to forgiveness as the efforts and seriousness given to this fun little number overcome its scant budget. In short, Lo gives proof that CGI is not the future of cinema and may at times be its atrophy. Merci beaucoup.

Genruk of Evil Eye Reviews

A Successful Stage to Screen Adaptation

[chicagopoetry · 7/10 · 19 April 2010]

The movie called Lo is a stage play. Everything in it was most likely filmed in one location, on one stage, and could most likely be duplicated, if it hasn't already been done, with some success, on a stage in front of a live audience. It is theater. Parts of it even take place on a makeshift stage, and the rest takes place in the dark under stage lighting so that the characters appear in a virtual void. And it is a good piece of theater documented on video. It is not really scary, but weird and original, intriguing and watchable. The plot revolves around a guy who summons a demon called Lo in search of his lost girlfriend, only to encounter a series of Evil Dead type mind games played upon him by said demon. The geniuses behind this film have used their imagination to do an awful lot with their micro-budget, and it works tremendously. People easily pay $30 to see off Broadway theater like this, so you can rest assured that the dollar or two you spend renting Lo will not go to waste.

Truly bizarre

[invisibleunicornninja · 7/10 · 25 June 2019]

I have no idea what I just watched but I think I liked it.

Amusing Demon Horror Satire

[in1984 · 6/10 · 1 May 2010]

Or, very funny horror. This is the kind of late night film theaters should be showing. It's a comedy wrapped inside a scary appearance but with some scary and suspenseful moments nonetheless. There's enough gore and blood to keep the typical horror fan living inside a pentagram curious if not completely happy.

One of the beauties of this film is that it dives right into the horror element. No attempts at the almost always thin and half-thought plot and character development. Just when you think it's going in deeper, it begins playing with you as if you're a mouse about to be a cat's after dinner snack.

Even though it's too bad this didn't get a little more money for visual and audio effects, and a bit more sound editing, it remains visually impressive and the sound really only fails during a single soundtrack mix error. Making some deals for quirky, yet fitting and distinct music with independent bands probably helped it save a few bucks, but not enough. Hopefully a version with a little more post-production clean-up and editing will be released if it does well enough.

Great movie

[NicoB1981 · 10/10 · 18 July 2010]

I rarely comment on movies but this one though very original was excellent! It's set like a stage play and gives the impression of a rather low-budget independent film (although I have no detailed knowledge about who and under what condition it was produced) - yet the absence of any distracting special effects actually provides a focus on the story and leaves something for audience's imagination just like actually seeing a theatre play or reading a book even. The acting was very solid as well and kept me on suspense throughout the entire movie although I did figure out the conclusion somewhat before the end. Nevertheless, you should definitely regard me actually taking the time to write a review on here as indication of this movie's quality!

Highly recommended to everyone!

A Good Movie, But Not For Everyone

[hauntedmemories17 · 7/10 · 20 October 2011]

Well, I thought this movie was amazing. I found it as a recommendation on my Netflix and thought I'd give it a try since I love horror/cult classics. Well, it's not exactly a horror movie, at least in the strict sense. But, it is very amusing and different. It's very minimalistic; most of the story takes place with no scenery. It's just Justin and Lo. Lo has quite a way with words. In fact, I found the dialog witty and at times unexpectedly deep despite its obvious humor. The musical numbers are hilarious. I also really enjoyed the concept of viewing your relationship from the outside, because reality may be very different from your perceptions. Anyway, great low budget movie. I can't see it being a film that everyone will see, but it's definitely a great movie for a quirky audience.

Indie Success!

[Petey1001 · 14 September 2011]

While browsing the "Horror" section of Netflix I stumbled upon this movie. It received a fairly high rating and seemed kind of like my thing. As the movie starts its blatantly obvious that this didn't belong in Horror. Its humor was some of the funniest things I have seen in an indie movie. What Lo lacked in special effects and things a more pricey movie has, made up for it with a well written script and a diverse story that kept me guessing. The bartender scene had me almost crying from laughter. While there are definitely other movies out there that are a lot more flashy and catchy. Lo has its own unique spark. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anybody who asks.

Sometimes clever, and sometimes insufferable

[zetes · 5/10 · 14 February 2010]

A horror/comedy that walks the thin line between clever and insufferable. It unfortunately trips into the insufferable side of that line way too often, but the cleverness is still present enough to make it at least interesting. This is basically a filmed play, but the set up is interesting enough that I think it should work, and probably work better as a filmed play than a more open film. The film begins as Ward Roberts draws a Satanic symbol on his darkened apartment's floorboards. He summons a demon named Lo to help him: his girlfriend has been kidnapped by a demon, and he wants Lo to search for her. Lo (Travis Birkett), a very creepy creation, is like a giant crawling worm with arms and sharp teeth. While he's supposedly enslaved by Roberts' spell, he spends most of the time teasing Roberts, trying to tempt him outside of his protective pentagram. We are shown flashbacks of Roberts' and his stolen girlfriend's (Sarah Lassez) brief relationship, which are jokingly played out as theater (the worst parts of the film, honestly, mostly because director Betz includes these live, gold-painted faces poking out of holes in the red curtains on the side of the stage, which are constantly mugging in ill-advised close-ups). We meet the demon who stole the girl (horribly played in a Yalee accent by Devin Barry - definitely in the realm of the insufferable). Really, the interplay between Roberts and Birkett can be fairly great at times, and Roberts does well with the more emotional material (hard to believe in the love, though, once we are introduced to his manic pixie dream girl, who meets cute with him when she tries to steal his salad). But in the end, the film really doesn't work. I do feel that the raw material here is great. A better writer and director could make a very good film out of it.

The right sense of humor is a must

[RDuke53 · 10/10 · 4 March 2010]

I gave this a 10 because it's one of the few movies my husband and I both plan on watching again and again. Any movie that can do that deserves a 10! Lo popped up on my Netflix suggestions. I love to watch cheesy horror movies, even if they're really bad. I saw that it was a horror/comedy/cult classic type movie and it had 4 stars (which never happens for that genre) and thought, "I'll just add it to my instant queue and get to it whenever." My husband watched it before I did and said, "You HAVE to watch this." At times I wondered, "What am I watching?" and that is why I love this movie. It is so ridiculous. It is definitely not a horror movie, so that might be what rubs some people the wrong way. It also seems to make fun of classic cheesy B horror movies, although respectfully. I found most of it to be very witty, especially the scene regarding the couple in hell (in vitro... hahaha!) and the musical numbers (the bartender who spends 5 minutes making his own drink... hahaha!). You definitely have to have the right sense of humor for this movie, and that's why I think it doesn't have a higher rating. Most people won't get it.

An interesting and easy watch

[RoyRumble84 · 7/10 · 30 August 2010]

I found this movie on Netflix, and I added it to my queue because the plot and movie cover grabbed my attention. I then looked up the reviews on IMDb like I always do and found good and bad reviews. After convincing my girlfriend, we started the movie. We were at first creeped by the first demon, Lo. Lo's make-up is pretty impressive and the actor's performance is exceptional at times.

I do admit that this movie has a few corny parts, and the other demons are not intimidating at all. That did not stop me to continue to watch. This movie was very captivating with it's interesting plot, dialogue, and the actors'/actresses' performances. I would say it is an interesting, easy, fast watch, with a pretty good ending.

I would watch this movie again.

Travis Betz the director has much more talent than Travis Betz the writer.

[pinkston · 5/10 · 15 February 2010]

As many of you probably did as well, I stumbled on this film while scouring Netflix Instant View. There is a lot to like and a like to dislike with this film -- the creature design, vision and overall story are all quite interesting, but the story falls flat and the written dialogue doesn't work in whole. I really like some of the artistic choices that Betz made, turning a really interesting, deep tale and telling it in a really simplistic way. Stylistically, you can see influences from major films. But the major problems with the film, and the reasons why I can't get totally behind it, is the dialogue, which is far too sophomoric and jokey for the interesting style. Because of its simple nature, the film has to rely far too much on the dialogue, and the interplays between the young man and Lo just don't work for me.

fascinating

[ambercederman · 10/10 · 13 April 2011]

What a fascinating movie. That's really the best way to describe it: fascinating. There is something about Lo that is strangely intriguing. It's hard to explain. The plot is very simply. A young man named Justin is in love with a woman who is unexpectedly taken away by a demon. Justin summons a different Demon by the name of Lo in hopes of getting his girl back. This plot develops into a complex but very intriguing narrative with great acting and costumes, despite it's low budget. (The whole film takes place in one room). It's hard to explain, but there was something about Lo that I really loved. I guess it's the way that this movie really cared about it's characters. The characters were deep and well written. Really great movie.

Waiting for April

[gpeltz · 7/10 · 2 April 2015]

Lo (2009) was directed by Travis Bets, who also wrote it. Spoiler Alert, I will be talking about this movie. What is it about? It's a demon love story. Justin, played by Ward Roberts, has a crush on April, played by Sarah Lassez, One day she was carried off by demons, and now Justin will go to hell itself to get her back. Using Aprils book, Justin summons up the demon, "Lo" played a la "beatlejuice", by Jeramiah Berkett in order to have the demon search through hell to retrieve her. A demon once summoned must obey it's master. So yes, there is a story here, One might tend to question that while viewing. I remember my college days, hanging out with the actors in the drama department, a crazy group, they would improve situations, playing along as they went on. This movie has a "anything could happen" feel to it. than makes it eccentric. We get bargain basement Fellini. A particularly weird demon, Jeez, is played by Devin Barry is prone to break out into a rock anthem at the drop of a hat,

I could see a connection between Lo, and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) both gave us lead characters most could not identify with. Both films deal with lovers who were separated, both are presented in a offbeat format.

"Lo" takes the format of a, "Theater of the mind" experience as Justin's thoughts are revealed. Complete with stage and props. The movie aims at low comedy, pun intended. It turns out our poor boy Justin was duped, and April is not who he thought she was, but no matter. Love conquers everything. Hopefully you will overlook the Production values; Low budget, dare I say amateur, college film class 101. Yet there is also much imagination found here for those with a tolerance for nonsense such as this.Seven out of Ten "I'm fine with this, pass the joint" Stars.

low production values even by student-film standards

[cherold · 4/10 · 28 June 2010]

Like a lot of people here, this popped up as a netflix suggestion. It begins with a guy summoning a demon, sitting in the dark in a pentagram. One rather expects that at some point the movie will stop being a guy sitting in the dark talking to a demon, but not really. There are cheaply made flashbacks and weird stuff like a song and an interview with two suffering souls, but the movie is still extremely claustrophobic. It's also badly acted and unexceptionally written.

I had read that this movie had a good ending, but around halfway through I just didn't feel up to slogging through any more of it, so I skipped to the ending, which yes, is rather good. But it's not worth suffering through this to get to the ending.

Highly enjoyable

[marctams · 7/10 · 4 April 2011]

I watched this the last night with my other half. We weren't too sure what to expect but we certainly didn't expect what we got.

From the moment that the demon Lo appears this film becomes something that transcends it's meagre budget. The make-up and costumes are outstanding, the pace is terrific but, most importantly, the writing sparkles and the plot grips you.

Justin is a sad, awkward young man who's partner has been snatched by demons and taken to Hell. Using a book which she left behind he invokes a spell and summons the demon Lo who Justin believes can bring his lost love back to him.

The story that follows the invocation is gruesome, hilarious, musical and heart-breaking. At first I had no sympathy for Justin but throughout the film he finds a strength he never knew he had and, although the film doesn't end on a happy note, he finds his true love.

This film would transfer to the theatre very well (it's shot as though we are looking at a static stage) and I give it a 7.

Awesome Flic

[mike1286-870-724240 · 8/10 · 13 October 2010]

This movie was everything i didn't expect when reading the synopsis on netflix. I had went into it expecting a sort of pans labyrinth search for his girlfriend. Instead, I was completely in awe of the use of what i thought was stage acting on a stage itself. The story and plot is what kept me intrigued until the great twist. Great film, if i had to rate it i'd personally give it 8 out of 10. Even though it was a bit cheesy at parts Lo is still an achievement of biblical proportions. To take such a story and portray it in such a way was absolutely marvelous. and a great Film overall as well. I would recommend this to any movie fanatic. and i have many times..........

Highly imperfect but I don't care

[opiaterein · 7/10 · 5 November 2021]

Sometimes a film hides its low budget very well. Lo doesn't do that-it almost screams LOW BUDGET. But if you can look past that, and a few instances of some fairly cringeworthy acting, you might find something enjoyable and totally worth it.

I'd recommend watching this without reading too much about it. The plot is fairly simple, though there are a few good twists and Lo's contempt for the truth helps keep a viewer guessing.

Is it fantastic film? Hell no. But there are at least a thousand worse ways to spend 80 minutes.

Never gets out of the box

[obscuringrichie · 23 October 2010]

I'll admit that toward the end of the film, something about Lo warmed to me. The costume was impressive for the obviously low budget and some of the dialogue was fairly funny. I even enjoyed the ending, which is probably what got this film from the grueling 2 it had in my mind for the first half.

There are a lot of difficulties in making low budget films look good. The main issue is having a good story. This one wasn't bad, but from there on it misses the mark on so many fundamentals.

1) Cast - The actor playing Justin was horrible. His hammy and frantic facial expressions made it hard to take him seriously and even harder to care about him. The actress playing April, though invading less screen time, had an equal difficulty finding realism in her character.

2) Script - Some of the script was funny, most of the script was forced. The jokes felt like they too crafted and unnatural, and the occasional bit of laugh-track didn't help. But worst of all...

3) Staging - Or rather, stagey. This film has play written all over it, which I am certain is how it originated. The problem being that it never took advantage of its new medium. The set never moves (which makes sense in the last scene when you at last see daylight and realize what cheap filming equipment they must have been working with). Not only does the film stay stationary like a play it also leaks into the aforementioned problem areas.

The acting is over done because it is performed for someone in the back row, not up front and personal. The script suffers from unnatural pauses and deliveries for that reason too. I think that this "film" could someday be remade quite well, but as it is it just holds the audience at too much of a distance instead of drawing them in.

Pretentious garbage

[deunsander · 2/10 · 25 February 2013]

A very clumsily executed 'horror-comedy' film that is utterly painful to watch. It seriously irks me that pretension has grasped IMDb so strongly that tosh such as this can garner a wholly misrepresentative score. It plays out like a half-baked amateur theatre production and the acting is cringe-worthingly embarrassing to bear witness to at times, which is to say that it's largely awkward and laboured. None of it ties together particularly well at all and you will sit in head-shaking dismay at parts (For example, the nazi-demon song - seriously?)

I had to force myself to watch the entire length of this rubbish, I wouldn't recommend doing the same yourself. Unless, of course, you're one of these types that actually enjoy feigning over art house crap.

A little movie that maybe can?

[selphie38 · 8/10 · 9 February 2010]

So I just happened to see this movie in the Netflix instant queue and thought I would give it a try due to the fact that the story sounded good....and guess what it was a very well written movie! I liked the fact that it was set up like a stage play. Even tho the hole movie takes place in one spot it still held my attention very well...Oh and the big plus for me was the actor Jeremiah Birkett who played Lo in this movie but also played Blue Bell the Troll in The 10th Kingdom which is my favorite movie and he is a great actor (Go him!!)...so I would strongly recommend this movie to someone that would like to see something different and completely original...even tho it was low budget and sometimes got a little ridiculous in some parts it made me think different about those smaller films out there that can be just as good or even better then the blockbusters! ^_^

Forget Special Affects

[risanimal · 7/10 · 28 February 2012]

For those who need explosions to be entertained then move along. It doesn't need it. This film is all to do with the story. If you pay close attention you might get some extra surprises. Though the acting wasn't top notch the one who carries it out is LO. Your eyes are fixed on him pretty much for the whole film. It is very warm and dark at the same time. It's simple and a treat. The costumes and make up isn't awesome but it's pretty good. Some scenes are not needed. Sometimes I got a little bored with the filler actors. It's no big deal though. I still recommend those who enjoy Fairy Tale type of movies to watch this. You'll be glad you did.

Awful

[mac247365 · 1/10 · 20 April 2010]

This movie did not offer anything for me, the script could have been written by a three year old. It's trying to be arty and it has failed big time. The humour is not witty and the standards set are below anything I have ever seen. Some of the ideas behind this movie could have been taken from major titles and I'm not sure they've not been. Think if I was sitting in theatre watching this I would have walked out ten minutes in, just as I did with the movie. Can I just add, this just my opinion, you could watch this and think 'great'. I guess if you're into silly films then this is up your alley, and there are plenty into such. The dialogue is something to be experienced, once you've had enough I can assure you you'll be plotting to buy the film and giving it to someone you really hate for Christmas, just as I have. Painfully enjoy.

A profane comedy

[Rabh17 · 8/10 · 3 December 2010]

This one surprised me. . .I call this a 'Profane Comedy' as a counterpoint to what we know as 'Divine Comedy'. I was expecting a low budget slapstick horror romp: Boyfriend loses Girl to a Demon and then summons a demon to get her back-- but the tagline is that "the Demon has Other Ideas" Then the movie started.

Then I saw that it was actually a PLAY. And I normally don't like Plays. But I didn't hit the BACK button and remove it from my Netflix Queue. Why? The acting wasn't stilted or boring, and the dialogue was pretty 'with it'.

Now the humor is there, but it's light humor. And the Humor is light because it covers a deeper dramatic question. Some of it was strained and reaching. Other parts were nicely comedic. And the reason the structure of the sets seems so. . .staged. . .is because the focus is NOT about the HORROR about dealings with Demons. It's a play about Dealing with Demons.

And the ending was, from a Guyz perspective. . .disturbingly touching.

Girlfriend Friendly movie-- and a Girlfriend Test. If she fails: Dump her.

Black box theater on film

[redmoose31 · 7/10 · 21 May 2012]

The story is intriguing, certainly the plot was not predictable.

The movie is filmed in the style of black box theater. The audience does not move with the character, rather the scenes are brought to him. The acting is mediocre at best, and the effects range from decent to lousy, like a cheap b-movie, which this probably is. However, given the nature in which the film has been created, the effects do not feel overdone, but rather create a sense of watching it on stage.

In the context of a theater setting, the actual story and dialogue is interesting.

Worth seeing once, no more.

Horrible

[RussHog · 1/10 · 16 October 2018]

One of the worst movies ever made. Bad sets. Terrible script. It is like they filmed a bad play in a black box theater. Worse than Jeepers Creepers 3.