User:KellyTheUnhealer/The Unhealer

The Unhealer is a 2021 American supernatural horror film written by Kevin E. Moore and J. Shawn Harris, directed by Martin Guigui, and produced by siblings Cristi Harris and J. Shawn Harris along with Tony Hannagan and Galen Walker. It stars Lance Henriksen, Natasha Henstridge, Adam Beach, Elijah Nelson, Branscombe Richmond, Chris Browning, Kayla Carlson, Angeline Appel, David Gridley, Will Ropp, and Gavin Casalegno.

The film follows a bullied teenager how gains supernatural powers from a botched faith-healing then goes on a revenge spree after a high school prank by his tormentors results in the unthinkable.

The Unhealer had its world premiere at Grimmfest, Manchester U.K. on October 9, 2020. After a festival run, it was officially released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and streaming platforms on June 8th, 2021

Plot
Stanley Pflueger drives a rusty van to a secluded Native American burial ground to dig up lucrative artifacts. When he unearths a skull, an ancient shaman medicine escapes causing an explosion that tosses him thirty feet. He wakes to find his bum leg cured. Elated, he hurries off before he’s discovered. The next day, Red Elk, the Native American elder in charge of protecting the mound, finds it desecrated. He performs a ceremony that reveals the medicine is gone.

Kelly Mason walks into a convenience store, buys his favorite breakfast of ramen noodles, and eats the paper lid. Brothers Nelson and Reed, Tony, and Brad catch him mid-bite, call him ‘trash boy’, and dump him in a trash can outside. Kelly’s lifelong crush Dominique helps him out and expresses her disgust for the bullies. After a bad day at school, Kelly arrives home to find his mom, Bernice, unloading the groceries. She asks about his day, and he admits that at least Dominique still likes him, then he eats the grocery receipt.

Kelly's condition worsens, and he’s bedridden. The family doctor checks Kelly and informs Bernice that Kelly has an eating disorder called pica and needs a psychiatrist. Bernice rejects the idea. Later that day, she stumbles across Pflueger preaching to a crowd about his healing abilities. He promises miracles to anyone willing to donate. After Bernice witnesses Pflueger heal a cripple, she hires him to help her sick son. Also watching is Red Elk who pleads with Pflueger to return the medicine before it corrupts and destroys him. But Pflueger claims the powers are his now and leaves with Bernice. At the trailer, Pflueger violently dies of a heart attack during the ceremony, and Kelly discovers he’s miraculously immune to all pain and injury.

Reed decides he’s next up to bully Kelly. But every punch Reed places on Kelly is instead felt by Reed, leaving him bruised and bloody while Kelly is unharmed. That night, Reed’s father, Gus, bangs on the door of Bernice's trailer home to find answers. He meets Bernice and questions Kelly about his altercation with Reed. But Gus’ machismo offends Bernice, so she slams the door in his face. Then Kelly demonstrates this reflective superpower to his mom to her fascination.

At a school spirit bonfire, Kelly gets into a verbal argument with his tormentors, so when they find Kelly riding his bike, the driver, Brad, tries scaring him by following menacingly close behind. But Kelly hits a pothole and wrecks, and Brad cannot stop in time and runs him over. As Kelly is crushed and dragged under the car, his powers immediately transfer the injuries to Brad. The other passengers, Nelson, Tucker, and Tony, flee from the accident and return with Gus. Sheriff Adler questions the crew who blame Kelly for riding in the middle of the road. Kelly also decides to make up a story, so he doesn't reveal his superpowers to the police.

Nelson’s, Tony’s, and Tucker’s hatred for Kelly intensifies after Brad’s death. They concoct a prank to force ‘trash family’ to move away. With Nelson’s truck and a chain, they pull a support out from underneath Kelly's trailer home causing it to fall over. They escape unseen. But a gas main breaks causing an explosion which burns Kelly's mom alive in the trailer. At his mother’s funeral, Kelly kisses Dominique goodbye; he must leave town to live with a foster family.

While driving to social services, Sheriff Adler reveals to Kelly that someone may have tampered with the trailer’s supports. This enrages Kelly as he realizes it was no accident and his life-long tormentors must be responsible. Kelly jumps from the sheriff’s moving vehicle and runs through the desert landscape to the river swimming hole where he knows the bullies have gone. Kelly sneaks up on them as Nelson, Reed, and Tony throw rocks at Tucker swimming. Kelly uses his superpowers on Tucker until he drowns. Kelly says proudly, "One bully down, three to go." But before he can get even with the others, Sheriff Adler arrives.

That night, Kelly visits Dominique at her house. She tries to reason with Kelly, explaining his plan for revenge is wrong, and he should just get them to confess their responsibility for his mother’s death. Kelly cannot deny his love and agrees to manipulate them into a confession. Kelly hunts down the remaining bullies and gives them a chance to confess. But they refuse to come clean, so Kelly uses his superpowers against their own bullying nature to settle the score. Kelly justifies to Dominique that each bully made their own decision and got what they deserved. But she does not agree with him, and Kelly is heartbroken when she tells him she does not like the 'new' Kelly. He reluctantly agrees to give the powers back to Red Elk.

Sheriff Adler teams up with Red Elk, and they perform an ancient tribal ceremony to remove the medicine from Kelly. But the medicine hangs on, and Dominique suffers as a result. Kelly realizes that no one should have these dangerous and deadly powers, and sacrifices everything to bury them forever in Pflueger's corpse by eating his rotting heart.

Casting

 * Elijah Nelson as Kelly Mason
 * Kayla Carlson as Dominique Lemieux
 * Natasha Henstridge as Bernice Mason
 * Lance Henriksen as Reverend Stanley Pflueger
 * Adam Beach as Sheriff Bud Adler
 * Chris Browning as Coach Gus Whitcomb
 * Branscombe Richmond as Red Elk
 * David Gridley as Nelson Whitcomb
 * Gavin Casalegno as Reed Whitcomb
 * Will Ropp as Tony Miller
 * Angeline Appel as Sarah
 * Cristi Harris as Terry Lemieux
 * Thomas Archer as Brad
 * Mike Gray as Tucker
 * Kevin E. West as Dr. Fitzgerald
 * Corbin Timbrook as Mr. Crowley
 * Dahlia Waingort as Ms. Skinner
 * Shelby Janes as Paulette
 * Linda Rae Jurgens as Mina
 * Craig Hensley as Deputy Ruddock
 * Tommy Goodwin as Deputy McCarthy
 * Dave Cobert as Paramedic Ross
 * Dejzon Walker as Paramedic Carter
 * Justin Dean Jones as Chucky
 * Mike Hauser as Preacher

Writing
The writers read an advice column where a woman wrote in and asked if it was a problem her eating a box of 64 Crayons twice a week. She was told she had an eating disorder called pica and needed help. Then a few weeks later in the news section was an article about a girl who couldn't feel any physical pain due to congenital analgesia. The writers put these ideas together and fleshed out a horror story.

Filming
Principal photography lasted 18 days in 4 weeks starting May 30th, 2018 and ending June 23rd, 2018. Shot on location in Arizona including Apache Junction near Superstition Mountains, Scottsdale, Coon Bluff in Tonto National Forest, and Queen Creek.

Soundtrack

 * “(You've Got) The Magic Touch” performed by The Platters
 * “Save Yourself” performed by Stabbing Westward
 * "Brand New Numb” performed by Motionless in White
 * "Tonight, We're Gonna Party" performed by National Anthem
 * "No More" performed by Beyond the Grey
 * "Another Tragedy" performed by Promise to Myself
 * "Monster" performed by Promise to Myself

Release
The Unhealer was officially released June 8th, 2021 in the USA and Canada on DVD, Blu-Ray, and streaming platforms, and in theaters in South Korea December 2nd, 2021.