Holy freaking hell. Tense. Scary. Kind of disturbing. And not very gory, at least not initially. If the story made any kind of sense in retrospect, I’d say this was one of the best horror films I’ve ever seen. Still, it’s good for what it sets out to do: scare the living hell out of you.
The film looks great. I loved the old cinematography: the dim, natural lighting, the deliberate camera movements; the grainy, almost fuzzy nature of it all. You don’t see films shot like this anymore, and that’s unfortunate.
There’s a certain beauty and charm to using old-fashioned film methods, and this movie has it in spades. I’m even willing to say that I prefer this kind of visual style over today’s bright, ultra clear, super high-resolution films. It looks like a film is supposed to. None of this hollow CGI crap.
I also loved the slow pace of this film. Nothing really happens until the last third, but that’s okay as the film manages to keep tension high through the use of music, shadows, and uncertainty. Even the very first shot is simple, yet frightening. It tells you exactly what kind of movie this is going to be in the first 30 seconds. Brilliant.
There’s also a brilliant scene involving the death of a character at the end of the first act that is so simple, yet so unexpected, that it’s a shame I can’t spoil it with specifics. Eh, screw it. **SPOILERS** When the blond girl is killed in her car. Freaking great scene. Simple, yet brutal and to the point. And gory as hell. Man, her head just explodes all over the windshield. Awesome. **END SPOILERS**
And the acting, man, especially from the husband and wife in the house. Creepy. Well written, well performed. Just great. And the lead character is also pretty good, and beautiful in a conventional Hollywood staple kind of way. But the husband and wife are just brilliant.
The only thing I didn’t really like about it is the story, particularly the ending. It’s all a bit implausible, and, as creepy as the last shot of the film is, eh, I didn’t buy it. All that trouble just for that? Isn’t there an easier way to go about it? And why the slow cat and mouse game? Why not just do it all the moment her friend left and save yourself the wait? I know there wouldn’t be a movie had they done that, but come on, people; if it’s so important to your cause, use a little logic.
I also didn’t much care for some of the visuals. Though most of this film is beautiful, there are a few shots that felt masturbatory, namely, the ones that focus on the lead character holding the knife in cool ways as she slowly walks across a darkened hallway. You could tell the only reason they were put in was because someone thought they would look cool. It just didn’t fit with the beauty and simplicity of the rest of the film, or the nature of the character. But whatever.
Overall, great, brilliant, scary, beautiful. A must see. Will scare the crap out of you if you have the patience for something a bit slower than what you’re probably used to watching.
Allen Watches Everything 