PAURA 3D
A vibrant horror movie, suitably sick and tense, with three wayward youths having fun at a posh guy's villa and reaping the payback big time.
The woman in this cellar was a mess of mystery; I couldn't make out whether I felt sorry for her, or just wanted to forget the evil beast forever by the time the end credits rolled.
The long, languid build-up worked - making the grisly horror towards the end of the movie, even more painful to watch. Nice to see some equality in that a man and a woman were chained up in the cellar at the end, though less equality that the woman was naked and the man had his trousers on. I saw one thing in 3D that I hope I never have to see in 3D again. It didn't belong to the actress, but to a stand-in random porn star. Although it felt a little out of place, visual extremes like this in a horror movie are brave and subversive. The soundtrack with creepy gargling and whispers was excellently Suspiriaish and the 3D was used to good effect, especially (and exceptionally) in the opening colourfully and trashily-animated credits straight from the pages of a Brothers Grimm book that featured a little girl exploring a mysterious forest and not liking what she finds - her 'guardian angel'(or maybe she is liking, I'm not sure quite). In the closing sequences, with a flickering flame in front of us, the 3D added a subtle intensity.
I enjoyed the frenetic energy in the chase sequence and felt genuine fear when the lights went out at the film's climax with just a lighter to give us hope. 'Felt genuine fear' in a horror movie - that's been a long time coming!
mark gordon palmer
A vibrant horror movie, suitably sick and tense, with three wayward youths having fun at a posh guy's villa and reaping the payback big time.
The woman in this cellar was a mess of mystery; I couldn't make out whether I felt sorry for her, or just wanted to forget the evil beast forever by the time the end credits rolled.
The long, languid build-up worked - making the grisly horror towards the end of the movie, even more painful to watch. Nice to see some equality in that a man and a woman were chained up in the cellar at the end, though less equality that the woman was naked and the man had his trousers on. I saw one thing in 3D that I hope I never have to see in 3D again. It didn't belong to the actress, but to a stand-in random porn star. Although it felt a little out of place, visual extremes like this in a horror movie are brave and subversive. The soundtrack with creepy gargling and whispers was excellently Suspiriaish and the 3D was used to good effect, especially (and exceptionally) in the opening colourfully and trashily-animated credits straight from the pages of a Brothers Grimm book that featured a little girl exploring a mysterious forest and not liking what she finds - her 'guardian angel'(or maybe she is liking, I'm not sure quite). In the closing sequences, with a flickering flame in front of us, the 3D added a subtle intensity.
I enjoyed the frenetic energy in the chase sequence and felt genuine fear when the lights went out at the film's climax with just a lighter to give us hope. 'Felt genuine fear' in a horror movie - that's been a long time coming!
mark gordon palmer