SpannersGerm669
Judging by the low score and less than impressive discussions on IMDb, i went into Psalm 21 expecting a disaster, but in the end what i got was the complete opposite! Comparing this to the Scandinavian standard, this Swedish horror film doesn't really keep it company, but on its own ,its a generic horror film idea, mixed in with a soul searching look into the destruction that religion can bring. Brilliant cinematography, along with solid performances in the acting department, make Psalm 21 appear to be a well executed movie. Unfortunately, my biggest problem with the movie was the repetitive horror set pieces, which allows the audience time to desensitize themselves to what is happening, due to the frequency of scares. Having said that, thankfully Psalm 21 saves itself by the thought provoking material, underneath the generic surface!
lovefork
I felt compelled to write a review of this movie. This movie actually has a lot of heart and there is more to it than most seem to think. It is, at it's base, somewhat of a horror movie. There also exist thoughtful undertones that force you to think. Not in a who-done-it kind of way. It's far more cerebral. If you watch this movie as a character exploration and don't sit impatiently waiting for the next scare, you will begin to see a man dealing with his tortured spirit. I found it moving in several instances.Highly recommended!!!
AgentSniff
Psalm 21 is one of those few Swedish horror films that actually are good. It come into the company of The Cellar, Let the Right One In and Frostbite. Psalm 21 had the potential to become the best of them all but loses track.The first half is scary as s**t, and has an amazing atmosphere. But it soon loses track. The horror is less in focus and the film as a whole suffers a result. The ending should have been cut out. It's way to into pushing it's message down our throats. The acting is good, but the special effects are silly at times taking away much of the horror in the second part of the movie.
johanberman
#may contain spoilers# I just watched this movie last night and to tell the truth i didn't expect much since there are very few Swedish films worth seeing. But this one actually surprised me, in a very bad way.The first thing that hit me was the dialogue and this is one of my major problems with Swedish films in general. Not one person in this entire country speaks this way, all the dialogue feels very forced and clinical. Not to mention the fact the movie is supposed to take place in the northern part of the country yet everyone talks in dialect that is used in our capital.Plotwise there isn't anything even remotely original about it either, its a pretty basic ghost story(although you could argue that there are no ghosts at all) with a few twists that doesn't make any sense at all and an ending that just serves the directors wish to make his views on religion crystal clear.As far as the horror elements go it is also very lacking, basically they're just Ringu inspired ghosts(one scene is almost copy/pasted right out of Ringu 1) and considering how scary the deep woods in northern Sweden can actually be at night they completely messed up by not taking advantage of that.To sum up, this movie isn't worth your time or money. The acting is bellow average but with a script like this im not sure you can blame the actors. Add to this a nonsensical plot and the sub-par horror elements you will only be wasting your time.
AD
