Whilst hearing good things about it and the concept sounding quite interesting, I thought I would give this chance. Especially when 2016 looks to be the year to discover the years best horror films for yourself. I have already done well with finding Goodnight Mommy, The Witch and Green Room.
I can safely add this one to the roster of really interesting horror films released in 2016. The first 20 minutes sets you up for a unique twist on the home invasion sub-genre. I really liked the concept and how it was cleverly introduced. It really makes you think of what would happen in real life if this situation occurs. It also used that concept with modern technology which added to the tension in the opening third of the film. Another part of the film that was enhancing the concept was the sound design. You will understand the sound design would relate to the concept once you have seen it.
There are moments of either slowness or generic horror. But the slick cinematography and directing can still make it look fresh underneath the main idea of the story.
The second half goes down some unexpected paths that again are executed really well. It included one clever moment that had proper fooled. Props to director Mike Flanagan and his team for that particular scene.
As for the finale, I liked it and I felt it rounded the story off well.
The cast is one of the smallest I have seen, but they all played their part really well. Kate Siegel as our leading character was great. She felt believable, easy to root for and every moment she did a bit of action, I felt like punching the air and wanting her to succeed.
The villain in this film who I will not name for reason that will be explained in the film played the role well and felt really well developed. The character felt more cunning then threatening. It felt like they were playing games with our main character which definitely gave the character some intelligence which you don't see in many horror villains.
If you look at my rating, my review does not seem to match my rating. The reason I am giving that particular rating, is mainly due to the good stuff not being strong enough to give it a higher rating. Bar the idea, the concept is not ground-breaking my general feeling just seemed to fit into the rating I have given it. Also, there was one moment towards the end that felt like a big plot-hole.
I think you can tell that I am really championing this one. It is good fun, well acted and the directing is great. You can definitely that Flanagan loves this particular genre. His style definitely had me on the edge of my seat for pretty much the whole film. I liked the twists that were being made including that I don't recall seeing in any horror film so early into it. It definitely gave the film a different look about it.
This films shows that with a small cast, little dialogue and a simple concept with an added interesting idea can become really good films, and this one most certainly is. Also, its short and snappy duration of 81 mins was nice to see. I liked films that have a good idea and are straight to the point with it, rather than over-longing it to 2 hours or more.
Rating: 7/10
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