I am very sad for writing this but the film was average at best. I just finished watching this in Berlin as part of the FrightFest film festival. I had high hopes for the film following the stellar reviews, but, it wasn’t really good. It was genuinely an average horror film at best.
Maybe I will need to watch this again when it comes out on Blu-ray, but, until then, I don’t think it was good :frowning2:
I had this film on my watchlist for a while now and finally got around to watch it. I was pleasantly surprised how good of a film this was. The acting is top notch and the length of the film is just right, given the subject matter is rather straightforward. I have a few unanswered questions though so I might watch it again.
A brilliant film with some of the best child actors / actresses I have ever seen in a film. If you like slow-burner horror films, this is the one to watch.
A good film. Good thriller, keeping you on the edge of your seat. While I watched this at home, I believe it would be even more immersive had I watched in the big screen.
CAUTION: If you have fear of rights, don’t watch this. It will really make you feel bad.
Recently I have been watching Faye Dunaway's films, for no reason. I heard Chinatown is one of the best films she took part in so I was really looking forward to watching it. After two hours and ten minutes, I found myself looking at the screen and thinking, what is so special about this film? Why does it have stellar reviews across the board? Why is it one of the films I must watch before I die? I have no idea. It was average at most. Yes, the unexpected story line in the end regarding the father and the daughter was, interesting, but it had nothing to do with the main murder.
I really feel I missed something important to like this film. But I watched it carefully. I didn't drift away. I was wide awake, focused and not tired.
It is the two hours and ten minutes I will never get back in my life. I did not like it and I am not ashamed to say it.
Please change my view on this and tell me what I have missed.
Now, don't get me wrong. This film is not the worst film I have ever watched. But it is NOT a good film. Certainly not 63% as it was the score at the time of writing this review.
It is not a horror film, I get that. It is more of a political drama. But, for me, it is not that either as it doesn't do much to tell the history. What is this film then? I don't know.
All I know is this film is 4 out of 10 stars, and that is for the beautiful cinematography and semi-decent acting.
What a pleasant surprise this film was.
I started watching this film with no background information. Didn’t know anything about it, didn’t watch the trailer, didn’t even know who’s acting. Just pressed play and started watching it. And what a pleasantly great slow burner horror film this was.
While the ending could have been explained a little bit more, it was absolutely great. At 84 minutes long, the length of the film is just right for a slow paced horror.
Would I watch it again? Very likely. Would I make my friends watch it? Absolutely!
The film is all about madness at best. Main characters lose their mind and we watch their hallucinations. All the religious references in the film leads to nowhere. The film has a few good jump scares and quite a good beginning which makes you think the rest of the film is going to get somewhere. Unfortunately it doesn’t. I wouldn’t watch it again, nor would I make my friends watch it.
The story was good and rather interesting. Unlike some others, I did not find the film boring to watch but oh my god with the directing! What did the director think when he was shooting this film?! Some scenes don't add up, others are simply gap fillers with nothing to add to the overall story. Some acting was seriously an eyesore!
If this film was handled better by a different director, it could have been a different outcome for sure. With 6 out of 10, it might seem generous - maybe it is - but I still think it's worth watching despite all of its shortcomings, of which there are many.
My expectations for this film were too little that I was pleasantly surprised to see how good the film was. Highly recommend it.
Reading the reviews, I am amazed how popular this film amongst the reviewers. For me, it was a massive, MASSIVE let down.
On average, I am very generous with my rating on Trakt. Usually I rate 1 point, if not 2 points above the rating on Trakt. Especially when it comes to horror / thriller genres, I am super easy to please.
This film gets 3/10 from me - and that is purely for the brilliant acting of the kids. They are spotless. The casting couldn’t have been done better. But that is the only good thing about the film.
Above all, this film is not a horror film. Not even close. It is not a thriller either. It is simply a drama film, trying too hard to give a message to make the film feel like it is one of those “yeah, I didn’t understand the film and that’s why it’s great ‘cos I’m cool” reactions. Sorry, not for me.
Very, very disappointed.
I knew this film was going to be something different but I didn’t read anything about the film before I started watching it. And this is my absolute recommendation to anybody who is thinking of watching this film. Don’t read anything about it. Just watch it. It is different, obscure, unusual, political, weird and overall awesome!
Would I watch it again? Yes! Would I make my friends watch it? Absolutely!
This is my kind of film. Suspense throughout, mystery till the very end... I could write a long review about the film but I realise it wouldn't be that different to what others have already said about it, so my only criticism goes to Anthony Hopkins.
I enjoy watching Anthony Hopkins. I really do. He is a brilliant actor and deserves all the credit he gets. However, his acting seems rather repetitive. He is always assigned to play the role of a man who is highly intelligent, mysterious, always a man of wisdom. Yes, this makes him an interesting character to watch, but we have seen it so many times. The funny thing though this never gets boring. So, I guess, hats off to him for his ability to make us watch the same character over and over again.
Would I watch this film again? Well, I guess so, only if it was on the telly and there is nothing else to watch it. Would I make my friends watch it? Possibly.
Just finished watching this film without knowing anything about it beforehand. Its references to a pandemic somehow made it much more relevant to watch right now than it would have been back in the day when the film is released.
Somehow I expected a better, more clever ending to the film but it lacked that element. However, it was a good watch overall.
Would I watch it again? Probably not. Would I make my friends watch it? Yes.
It is one of those films that you really feel for the characters. Its story is very engaging, heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
I heard a lot about this film before. People kept saying it was one of the best films they have ever seen. While I cannot say the same, it is certainly a film I am glad to have seen now.
Would I watch it again? Probably not, wouldn’t want to stress myself that much again. Would I make my friends watch it? Yes to that.
Terrible film! Super weak plot and irritating characters. It was a total waste of time for me.
I was looking for a film to watch. Being a big Helen Mirren fan, I decided to give this one a go. What a great choice it was!
The fact that the entire film is in real time, meaning we watch the event as they unfold in real time, makes it a true edge-of-the-seat stuff. Acting was nothing to brag about but the story was great. As you watch it, you keep finding yourself arguing with yourself, trying to decide what you would actually do if you were one of the characters in the film.
If you’re looking for something to watch and have access to this film, don’t even think for a second and press that play button.
Would I watch it again? Yes! Would I make my friends watch it? Absolutely!
I have been reading more and more about this film on the internet as more and more people watch it. While I didn’t take much notice of the reviews at first, the more I see its name mentioned, the more I became curious about it.
When the film started, I thought it is going to be one of those mystery films which an unknown entity starts troubling people and you get to find who or what it is towards the end of the film. Well, this film is also like this but with a big, unexpected twist halfway through. And for that, the film gets a positive rating from me. A well-deserved 7/10.
Would I watch it again? Probably not. Would I make my friends watch it? Sure.
While this is not one of the most popular Alfred Hitchcock films out there, it is still brilliant.
You can immediately recognise this film has Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s signature on it from the way the film is shot and its story is told.
I did not know anything about the film before I started watching it and I am glad I did it. There were plenty of surprises to see me going to the end of the film.
Would I watch it again? Possibly. Would I make my friends watch it? Definitely.
I was not expecting this film to be this good! Didn’t know anything about the film before I started watching it and what a pleasant surprise it was!
The film, which tells the true story of a young woman with multiple personality disorder, is way ahead of its time in my opinion. Coupled with good acting and a storyline that never bores you, it’s one of the best films I watched that is from the 1950s.
Would I watch it again? Absolutely. Would I make my friends watch it? Definitely.
I have no idea why I was expecting an anthology before I started watching this film. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. While I dislike the increasingly high number of horror films which take place in 1960s/70s/80s nowadays, I still enjoyed watching this one.
Surprisingly, each scary scene in the film is better than the one before, which makes the film better as you keep watching it.
Would I watch it again? Yes. Would I make my friends watch it? Why not?
It is not easy to describe this film. For the current generation, the film might not mean much but imagine those who watched this film, witnessing the events they themselves have gone through. Only then you truly understand the power of the film.
To me, who is in his mid-30s, the film is certainly a reflection of decent, honest, not over the top acting you may be accustomed to see in films of the same era. This is certainly the reason it gets the score I gave.
It could certainly be shorter but then you’d have to give up on some important character development scenes.
Would I watch this film again? I don’t think so. Would I make my friends watch it? Possibly not.
I watched this film without knowing it was actually directed by Mike Flanagan. When I saw his name in the beginning of the film, I immediately knew I was in for a treat! I was not wrong!
There is something special about the way he tries to scare people who watch his films. I can't tell you exactly what that is. All I know is that he is bloody good at it!
You could see the film had a limited budget but actually the fact that its budget was limited made the film even better. Its atmosphere was unique. The "jump scares" were not really a traditional jump scare but rather an amazing collection of moments where you wished you were so glued to the screen.
Would I watch it again? Definitely! Would I make my friends watch it? ASAP!
I watched this film without knowing almost anything about the actual events that are depicted in this film. What a surprise it was! The cast did an amazing job to reflect the actual characters in history while the director did a stellar job in representing it.
Would I watch it again? I don't think so. Would I make my friends watch it? Definitely!
I remember watching this film when it came out 25 years ago (how time flies!). I was a teenager back then. 25 years later, today, I rewatched the film, not remembering anything about it.
I was utterly shocked by the events in the film. Not only the acting was superb, the story was engaging. This has certainly been one of the hardest films to watch for me. Depressing, sad, thought-provoking.
Would I watch it again? No, because I don't want to put myself to that much stress again. Would I make my friends watch it? Definitely.
I do love slow-paced thriller films and this is exactly that. Having said that, there is something that makes me uneasy about the ending. It is up to so many interpretations that the writer / director of the film didn’t know himself how to end otherwise a close-to-brilliant story with a decent acting.
Would I watch it again? Possibly. Would I make my friends watch it? I guess so.
Just like the first film, this one also takes you to a very special journey you can never forget. The honesty of the characters and how relatable they are is what made the first film so charming and unique applies to this film too.
These two films have a very special place in my heart.
Would I watch it again? Absolutely! Would I make my friends watch it? Definitely.
This is easily one of the best films I have ever watched. I cannot put it into words that will describe my feelings towards the film. From the very beginning to the very end, the characters were introduced excellently.
You feel a strong bond for each and every character. Every single one of them are so relatable, as if this was a reality show and not a film.
Especially in the days when most of the world continues to live repetitive lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people question the ordinary lives we all have. This film can be the one spark you need in your life to start over.
Would I watch this again? Absolutely! Would I make my friends watch it? Without a doubt!
I love horror anthologies. Mostly there are some hidden gems in there. V/H/S series was a great example to it. The same applies to the ABC’s of Death. This one has certainly a higher production value and seems to have a decent budget to pull that off.
I cannot name a single short film within that is better than the others. They all seem to be equally good. Not great, but certainly good. The “horror” value was mostly “gore”, rather than a horror that gives you chills. This makes the film much easier to consume.
Would I watch it again? Yes. Would I make my friends watch it? Yeah, it looks like a great get together and watch something film while having chats in between.
I didn’t have much expectations for this film, other than thinking it would be a low budget, easygoing horror film. How wrong I was! Not only it is a decent horror film but also scary at times. Yeah, it certainly is not a 10 out of 10 horror film, for sure, but it’s certainly worth watching.
Would I watch it again? Yeah! Would I make my friends watch it? Absolutely!
