Andrew Repasky McElhinney's gothic art film is a beautifully crafted, suspenseful period drama/horror, that capitalizes on a sense of unease that methodically develops over the course of the film. This is not a horror film for those who want pain and guts and jump scares, but rather the kind of film that slowly draws out and builds its never-ending tension, so that by the end you might not even realize that you are already sitting on the edge of your seat with clenched teeth.
The story is set around a vague time in the 19th century, in which a flailing family and those around them are being hunted down by an unknown terror-- someone or something? The script is economic and poetic, acted with the restlessly restrained personalities of a bygone society (although this reviewer found David Seminon as Uncle Grady overacted, particularly in his phrasing). Not only is the story set around the early modern period, but the film's cinematography seems to nod towards the art of this time period in its careful attention to composition: actors are framed like Renaissance profiles; long, slow shots are held with an eye towards rhythm, perspective, and order; a sometimes slightly stilted quality echoes both the constant unease of the unfolding murders and the real sparseness of an early modern culture isolated and fading away.
A beautiful early film by an ambitious director, and a thoroughly enjoyable journey into the theatrical slow terror of increasing anxiety and a crumbling community.
The story is set around a vague time in the 19th century, in which a flailing family and those around them are being hunted down by an unknown terror-- someone or something? The script is economic and poetic, acted with the restlessly restrained personalities of a bygone society (although this reviewer found David Seminon as Uncle Grady overacted, particularly in his phrasing). Not only is the story set around the early modern period, but the film's cinematography seems to nod towards the art of this time period in its careful attention to composition: actors are framed like Renaissance profiles; long, slow shots are held with an eye towards rhythm, perspective, and order; a sometimes slightly stilted quality echoes both the constant unease of the unfolding murders and the real sparseness of an early modern culture isolated and fading away.
A beautiful early film by an ambitious director, and a thoroughly enjoyable journey into the theatrical slow terror of increasing anxiety and a crumbling community.