Unfortunately as we get old, there are some diseases that folks are more apt to come down with. They seem to all be life threatening or debilitating to the individual in some way. One such disease is Alzheimer’s Disease, a form of dementia that can eventually cause immobilization and death. Last year’s film, The Taking of Deborah Logan, uses it as a catalyst for a horror film. Alzheimer’s itself in some ways out horrifies the “actual” frights within the film.

Mia, a college student working on a documentary on Alzheimer’s, is given a grant for her college project. Deborah Logan, an older woman who has been diagnosed with the disease, agrees to be the subject of Mia’s documentary. Mia and her crew set up at the woman’s home and with the help of Deborah’s daughter, Sarah, they agree to present both the disease and Mrs. Logan in a non-exploitative way. As expected when filming commences, Deborah’s unpredictable behavior shows how the disease effects the everyday life on the Logan family. Yet, as time goes by, more bizarre things begin to occur that may not just be related to Alzheimer’s.

Produced by Bryan Singer, the film was co-written and directed by his long time collaborator, Adam Robitel, a character actor and jack-of-all-trades behind the scenes of films. Starring Emmy Award winning actress, Jill Larson, in a career defining role as Deborah Logan, the film has received many positive reviews and has been considered one of the best examples of cinéma vérité. Dark Discussions chooses to discuss one of the sleeper films of 2014.