(MAJOR SPOILERS)
Quick, horror fans, take this test:
You and your significant other are trapped inside a deserted apartment building by a crazy old woman. To your credit, after a good hour of utter stupidity, you have finally managed to turn the tables on this not particularly formidable villain, who is currently screaming in pain with a mangled hand.
Now... what do you do?!
a) You incapacitate the murderous woman, tie her up and then GET THE HELL AWAY; b) You run around screaming hysterically, only to find out you are trapped inside the building, so you return to the old woman but... duh! She's gone! c) You untie a big, evil-looking man in a dark room, because you believe he's another victim. Oh, you tried to help him before, but he attempted to strangle you; d) You call the police or a friend, but are unable to give them coherent informations; e) You douse yourself and your spouse with gasoline and light a match; f) You take a nap on a blood-spattered carpet.
If you didn't answer a), congratulations! If they ever do a sequel of this movie, you might be the protagonist.
Jaume Balaguero is definitely no hack. All his previous works show directorial competence and the skill to create an ominous atmosphere. Para Entrar A Vivir starts out promisingly, but quickly degenerates into utter silliness. The script tips its hand far too early - once we learn the main villain (and, for a good chunk of the story, the only villain) is this undeniably deranged, but otherwise hardly intimidating middle-aged, bespectacled lady, the tension almost vanishes. People actively work to put themselves in danger, get bashed in the head a lot, do a copious amount of stupid choices, the killer is not dead, and yada yada yada. One is reminded of Balaguero's Darkness and Anna Paquin's terrible decisions. And the characters of Rec weren't exactly the pinnacle of human intelligence either.
The fact is, Balaguero is so enamored with the atmosphere of a particular scene that he does not seem to care about its plausibility - his characters are dumb puppets, hamsters running on a wheel and working really hard to unleash the boogeyman.
So, who decided horror characters NEED to be dumb? It's a lot scarier if you get the impression even smart, resourceful individuals would be in danger.
And why should I be rooting for morons?
5/10
Quick, horror fans, take this test:
You and your significant other are trapped inside a deserted apartment building by a crazy old woman. To your credit, after a good hour of utter stupidity, you have finally managed to turn the tables on this not particularly formidable villain, who is currently screaming in pain with a mangled hand.
Now... what do you do?!
a) You incapacitate the murderous woman, tie her up and then GET THE HELL AWAY; b) You run around screaming hysterically, only to find out you are trapped inside the building, so you return to the old woman but... duh! She's gone! c) You untie a big, evil-looking man in a dark room, because you believe he's another victim. Oh, you tried to help him before, but he attempted to strangle you; d) You call the police or a friend, but are unable to give them coherent informations; e) You douse yourself and your spouse with gasoline and light a match; f) You take a nap on a blood-spattered carpet.
If you didn't answer a), congratulations! If they ever do a sequel of this movie, you might be the protagonist.
Jaume Balaguero is definitely no hack. All his previous works show directorial competence and the skill to create an ominous atmosphere. Para Entrar A Vivir starts out promisingly, but quickly degenerates into utter silliness. The script tips its hand far too early - once we learn the main villain (and, for a good chunk of the story, the only villain) is this undeniably deranged, but otherwise hardly intimidating middle-aged, bespectacled lady, the tension almost vanishes. People actively work to put themselves in danger, get bashed in the head a lot, do a copious amount of stupid choices, the killer is not dead, and yada yada yada. One is reminded of Balaguero's Darkness and Anna Paquin's terrible decisions. And the characters of Rec weren't exactly the pinnacle of human intelligence either.
The fact is, Balaguero is so enamored with the atmosphere of a particular scene that he does not seem to care about its plausibility - his characters are dumb puppets, hamsters running on a wheel and working really hard to unleash the boogeyman.
So, who decided horror characters NEED to be dumb? It's a lot scarier if you get the impression even smart, resourceful individuals would be in danger.
And why should I be rooting for morons?
5/10