Plot: It's Lucie's first day as a trainee in-house caregiver -she visits Mrs Jessel, an old woman who lies in cerebral coma, by herself, in her large desolate house. Learning by accident that Mrs Jessel, a former dance teacher of repute, supposedly possesses a treasure somewhere in the house, Lucie and her friends William and Ben decide to search the house in the hope of finding it. At night, they get into the house, which reveals itself to be increasingly peculiar. Their hunt for Mrs Jessel's treasure leads them into a horrifying supernatural series of events...
The heroes: Three geniuses robbing the house during Halloween.
The antagonists: Old woman harboring the secret and vampire ballerinas.
What makes it so great? The film is beautiful - the cinematography is just gorgeous and the themes throughout the film are very impressive for a typical break-in-to-the-haunted-house horror movie- there is a lot of tragedy when it comes to film's antagonists and it's not really easy to assign them with being evil, they are more disturbed, bitter and hurt. The character of Lucie is not the best, but she is likable enough for us to root for her. The film has a lot of nods and references to other films in horror genre and for me was a mix of Dario Argento and "The Orphanage". Also I loved very poetic and tragic ending.
Best scene: The flashback scenes.
Oh-oh something's not right line: "It's a corpse".
Scare factor:
- 3/5 evil pumpkins - jump scares and creepy moments, most of the horror in the movie lies in the way scary house was shown - it is seriously freaky and it's filled with things Buffalo Bill probably collected in his basement.. Gore factor:
- 3/5 bloody Leatherfaces - There are many creepy moments including one of the things I always find very disturbing - sewing the eyelids together.Is there a twist? Yes.
Hint: Don't let the calm beginning fool you.
Unsuitable for: Girls who are learning ballet with private tutor and caregivers. Also people who enjoy riding their bikes in secluded areas.
Repercussions: Fear of your ballet teacher. Fear of scissors. Fear of music boxes.
Maybe not as scary or as shocking as I hoped for, but it really is a gorgeous film. Also, the homages and self references made it a fun watch.
ReplyDeletePS. Love your new design tweaks.
Thank you! Yrah I read some reviews and though it will be a bit better but it was still very entertaining and solid horror movie.
DeleteWhoa, who is that character with the Bowie-eyes?
ReplyDeleteAnd who is that brunette?
The character and the brunette are the same person - Lucie, played by Chloé Coulloud. She's very pretty.
DeleteLooks great! I've added it to my ever-growing watchlist.
ReplyDeleteIf you like gorgeous and creepy films, you'll like this one for sure.
DeleteIt does look beautiful! I've never heard of it but it really does look worth a look!
ReplyDeleteIt definetly is! Though it's a tad disturbing, so it's not for everybody, but those scenes are quite quick which is actually an interesting contrast to peaceful scenes.
DeleteNot somethign I would ever watch if I am honest. Love the new look though Sati!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, it's more for horror movie buffs :)
DeleteSounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI'm an easily scared person, but I like to watch horror from time to time, so thanks for the recommendation.
I don't remember reading this feature of yours before... I like the way the post costructed, really helpful.
Thanks! It's a feature that I started in October I think, but I haven't posted in it for a long time - I had all the screencaps for it on broken computer but now it's working :)
DeleteLove your site redesign/layout :-) I am already afraid of music boxes.
ReplyDeleteThey are creepy aren't they? And used often in disturbing movies too - The Cabin in the woods, Black Swan...
DeleteAnd thank you!
This looks too spooky for my feeble nerves, Sati. Vampire ballerinas!! Man, w/ all the vampire movies out right now, they need to make one w/ ballerinas. I mean they're kind of mysterious anyway, I think that'd make for a creepy film, don't you think? :)
ReplyDeleteWell to be fair I called them vampire because they drunk blood and couldn't walk in the sun, but there were also elements of zombies and witches in them, so I don't know what the hell they were in the end :)
DeleteOoooh, this looks really cool. Especially for someone interested in ballet.
ReplyDeleteThere are not many ballet scenes here, but it's a very refreshing horror movie.
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