This movie is very quiet and pensive. it kind of stalks you like a cat. it lets you get comfortable, let your guard down for awhile. scenes of a small rural family dealing with the sickness of there father. it beautifully shot and dose a great job of showing space. and the soundtrack ranges from nonexistent to impossibly loud in a split second. its pensive, threatening, and i swear i heard someone laughing during a few scenes. its not boring, but nothing really happens for awhile in this movie. then right when you least expect it, it jumps of and scares the shit out of you.
Its a classic haunting movie shot in A24 quality. its rural without feeling like a stereotype. Its intelligent without being inaccessible. Its gory without being sleazy. there are tons of sheep but there is a massive goat bonfire.
and possibly my favorite thing about this movie, its so much more fun than mother!
----------UPDATE, NOV 18TH, 2021----------
Jesus i cant believe i actually posted that as a review of this movie. i really have come a long way in the last few years i have been doing this
I had planned to re-watch this movie on Halloween as i remember it being one of my favorites, but long story short shit got in the way. its been over a year since i last watched this movie, and i was concerned i may not love this movie as much as when i first saw it. i was wrong.
before we dive into what makes the horror so effective, i cant help but talk about these amazing characters. every member of the cast feels like a very real person struggling to deal with the situation in a very real way. the character scenes are just as much about what's is said as what's not, and its deeply unsettling to watch this family go from barely holding it together to full blown terrified and helpless by the time the credits roll.
and speaking of terrified and helpless, i love this movies commitment to full blown Nihilistic dread. normally, movies about demon possession all play out in a similar way. person becomes possessed, they seek medical help and get none, a priest rolls up and says some magic words, and POOF! everything's back to normal. this movie is more of the idea that if there was a legit demon in your house, that demon would kill everyone you have ever loved and save you for last so it can watch you lose your mind from shear terror. and the worst part? there isn't anything anyone can do to stop it. its brutally uncompromising with its violence, and watching this family get mentally and psychically tortured would make anyone feel just as trapped and panicked as they are.
if that sounds far to bleak for any human to possibly enjoy, just know that this movie is beautifully directed and has a perfectly unsettling soundtrack. its subtle when it needs to be, pants shitting levels of loud when it wants to be, and always perfect for the mood they are capturing.
i have heard poltergeists referred to as "an intelligent haunting" in the past, but this is easily the most intelligent haunting i have ever seen.
10/10
Comments