Reviews

This is next level bad, the decent and good reviews have to be fake on every level. The only redeeming quality about this film is that it ends. If you're a fan of slow pacing as in watching a snail go uphill in slow motion then this is the film you've been waiting for. The cast is unwatchable and there's absolutely nothing engaging about any of it. It's impossible that anyone actually enjoyed this film, and anyone that calls it art or unique or quirky or special or anything other then horrible is masking what this film really is - which is a complete mess. An incredibly bad experimental student film being passed off as some type of cinematic accomplishment.

I went into this hopeful there was a slasher I wanted, a slasher I needed. What I got was a mixed bag of delayed promises and a look at the potential of a slasher rising. What pulled me in was Shawnee Smith, she's in her element in the horror genre and she delivers. The rest of the cast , Tyrese Gibson, Taryn Manning and Bruce Dern are solid in their roles. There's a bit of predictability with the storyline and a lack of cohesion from time to time but the feeling of unease helps make up for it. There's a sense of foreboding that creeps in and it does, but not as often as I'd like it to. When we do meet the slasher it's a welcome sight and more of it would be better.

I liked this film, thought the acting was good and the overall production was strong for an indie. There was a bit of predictability when it came to how and why but I think the overall story makes up for it. I was drawn in by the friendship and how everything unravels fairly quickly and how the name of the game becomes survival. There's a lot to like about this film and the dance between storyline and imminent danger of a predator lurking in the water. It's definitely worth watching if you're a fan of shark movies and doesn't go all in on bad cgi shark moments. It handles tension and build up really well and delivers ultimately.

Find your special other and watch this together. This film delivers in every way. The feeling of a true indie horror with brilliant delivery. I was hooked from the beginning and never looked back. The set up of a late night talk show really works to bring this to life, it kind of feels like you're an audience member, captive audience member watching along. The horror and constant state of what's next is so well paced and well delivered. The actors are perfect and well casted in their respective roles, the lead (David Dastmalchian) is perfect as the late night host. He carries the film and delivers.

Tragically I wanted to love this but then I actually saw the film and it was a mess of let's throw up a bunch of different ideas up against the wall and let's see what sticks. It had the potential and look of a Tim Burton-esque movie but it lacked the creativity and heart of the aforementioned. The acting was on point and the production design was inspirational. The fall off was the storyline and the direction. The logic never took hold and it was confusing as the story shifted drastically without any real motivation. It was a strong attempt at giving the later 80's, 90's campy horror films a revival. Unfortunately the classic Frankenstein line "it's alive, it's alive" does not apply here.

So it's always interesting to go into a film based on the reviews and accolades it has gotten and the fact that it's a foreign film. There's a certain allure to its potential and ability to give us something new. Sadly I can't really speak to any of that being a function of this film. It just never feels like anything is really happening outside of the engagement with the actual music being sourced and the characters it's sourced from. I really did want this to be a Lynchian world of bizarre visuals and a truly uncomfortable exploration of the human plight through attaining that which we shouldn't. It never rose to that level but I think there's the possibility they can attempt again to get there on the next go around.

I enjoyed this film. I think Sydney Sweeney takes all the right risks as an actress and is a very talented actress. In this film in particular she never seems concerned with the outer beauty she has as opposed to the spiritual life her character is dedicated to. The first half of the film is slightly slow in pacing but I think it's all part of the build up and pay off. Sydney definitely goes there and delivers with a raw and real performance that is well worth the watch. The world of a convent has something creepy about it from the get go and the atmosphere of an old world edifice and grounds is well captured. The feeling of something sinister lurking is always in the back of the mind as you watch her delve deeper into the mysteries of this old world convent.

Whomever was behind this debacle had no imagination to start with. There are so many problems with this film. It felt like it was trying to be many films in one, add a pinch of It, a handful of Poltergeist, maybe a splash of Boogeyman and there you have it. A half baked idea of a film that never really cooks or sizzles with inspired creativity. It feels like they were making it up as they went along and the logic was all over the place and felt like it could change on a whim. The actors were good, it seemed like they had a budget they could work with. The only thing missing was an actual plot, a storyline or theme that worked.

There's a certain style of film being made that has the pacing of a snail stuck in traffic jam. That's what's happening here in this film. I appreciated the creativity and work that went into the visuals but the story telling was so monotonous that I quickly lost interest after fifteen minutes or so but marched on and watched the rest of it to see what it would offer. It was not worth the journey. The overall feeling of the film was like it was trying to be to cool for it's own good and should have spent more time doing the simple things right, mainly the pacing and the overall impact. This had the potential to be much more than it actually was.

I watched this and am still confused how no one understands this is not a film but a fringe museum video installation someone might think is artwork in the nether regions of Williamsburg Brooklyn. I could actually feel the inner workings of my retinas slowly decomposing as I watched this, it's that slow. At no pint did I feel any tension or the slightest feeling of fear or for that matter any feeling at all. My legs may have fallen asleep during the film. It's not a horror film and it's not a thriller. It's not engaging in terms of style or storyline. I'm still really confused by this film but not in a good way. I was really excited at the beginning of the film and thought it would continue down the road of what it was doing there but it did not unfortunately.

I felt like this started really slow to the point where you might lose interest. All the acting was solid, Nick Cage is always great to watch, and him being a parent in this was a cool character to get on board with. Post apocalyptic films are kind of a hit and miss territory when it comes to the storyline, budget and overall premise. I wasn't turned off by the storyline, the characters or the premise. The pacing was challenging. It felt a bit like an art house film to me at the beginning, a little too self involved and not expansive enough to let the audience in. Thankfully the second half of the film fulfills the promise the first half of the film spends too much of its time promising. Definitely worth a look.

Saw this in the theater and it did not disappoint. Captors become the captive and Abigail toys with them all the way through. I think I finally understand ballet through the eyes of a vampire. I loved the humor and the horror. It was seamless.

And the blood, it just kept coming which is always a plus, especially in vampire movies. I think the saturation and overall feeling of more blood as the movie goes on is a real positive to the point where everyone or anyone that survived long enough is drenched in it. Reminded me of the use of blood in Ready or Not with the brides dress that went from a pure white vision to this horrid deep red soaked blood bath of a dress.