"Moloch" is a Dutch horror movie and that fact alone is a reason for being positive about this movie. Horror movies tend to be expensive due to the needed special effects and that is a risk for a small market as the Dutch one. So all credit for (debuting) director Nico van den Brink, who took this risk.
The horror we see in "Moloch" is based on foik tales. In this respect the film follows the earlier trend in international horror movies such as "The witch" (2015, Robbert Eggers) and "Midsommar" (2019, Ari Aster).
As is usual with folk tales the story has some typical local (in this case Dutch) elements. It is situated in the Northern province of Drenthe, in the peat areas of this province. Dutch gin features prominent in the bars and we can even see the two main characters drinking what is called "a headbutt" (a glass of beer combined with a small glass of Dutch gin). The Dutch girl can handle this better than her Danish companion.
In some reviews it is said that the power of the film is diminished by the fact that the film explains too much. I do not agree. Take for example the title "Moloch". This is a pagan God that is associated with child sacrifices. The victims in the film seem however a lot older. It took me some interpretation to find the underlying logic.
A weak point in my opinion is the fact that the film has both plot elements that are supernatural but also depends on a (pagan) ritual. It never becomes quit clear what the relationship between these two might be. In this sense a film such as "The Wicker man" (1973, Robin Hardy) is much more clear with its choice for the pagan ritual.
Finally I like to call attention to the in my opinion very strong ending. In effect the film is most scary after the climax in stressing the continuity of the cycle. A continuity very observant spectators could already have spotted at the beginning of the movie. In the farmhouse were the main character lives are a lot of family porteraits. Men are however wholy absent from these portraits. To be more specific, these portraits show (for different generations) the grandmother, the mother and the daughter.
The horror we see in "Moloch" is based on foik tales. In this respect the film follows the earlier trend in international horror movies such as "The witch" (2015, Robbert Eggers) and "Midsommar" (2019, Ari Aster).
As is usual with folk tales the story has some typical local (in this case Dutch) elements. It is situated in the Northern province of Drenthe, in the peat areas of this province. Dutch gin features prominent in the bars and we can even see the two main characters drinking what is called "a headbutt" (a glass of beer combined with a small glass of Dutch gin). The Dutch girl can handle this better than her Danish companion.
In some reviews it is said that the power of the film is diminished by the fact that the film explains too much. I do not agree. Take for example the title "Moloch". This is a pagan God that is associated with child sacrifices. The victims in the film seem however a lot older. It took me some interpretation to find the underlying logic.
A weak point in my opinion is the fact that the film has both plot elements that are supernatural but also depends on a (pagan) ritual. It never becomes quit clear what the relationship between these two might be. In this sense a film such as "The Wicker man" (1973, Robin Hardy) is much more clear with its choice for the pagan ritual.
Finally I like to call attention to the in my opinion very strong ending. In effect the film is most scary after the climax in stressing the continuity of the cycle. A continuity very observant spectators could already have spotted at the beginning of the movie. In the farmhouse were the main character lives are a lot of family porteraits. Men are however wholy absent from these portraits. To be more specific, these portraits show (for different generations) the grandmother, the mother and the daughter.