t-mestdag
I am a long term fan of horror movies, even as a 10 year old I remember watching horror movies or series.This movie has at least two elements to make almost any fan of the genre happy: the actors and their acting plus and mostly, the ending, the surprisingly terrifying ending. I wish I could say a little more about it without spoiling it but I think it's practically impossible.I'm also a huge fan of Kate Hudson, I'm from the same generation as her and I love her acting style and her personality and in this movie she is amazing as usual when it comes to her acting. The rest of the cast are also excellent but in my case at least, I like to watch this movie especially because of Kate AND that incredible ending.I know it's 2017 now, I should've written this a long time ago, but I hope that if anything, this will suit the newer generations of horror movie fans.
Prichards12345
Hmmm, the frequently asked questions on IMDb state that this film isn't based on a book, but is an original screenplay. That may be so, but the central story idea is certainly not original. I've read the first few pages of reviews on here but no one appears to have twigged that this is actually based on H.P. Lovecraft's The Thing on The Doorstep. Heavily disguised, of course!Major plot spoiler here. Lovecraft's 1933 tale concerns body-transference, in which an aged sorcerer, masquerading in the body of his daughter, marries a weak-willed but useful poet and steals his body. Sound familiar? Well it does if you have seen this movie!Actually Lovecraft himself may have got the idea from Berkeley Square, so it's no major steal from the master of the macabre; mostly this is a well-realised and watchable horror movie, which goes over the top in the thriller stakes a little too much towards the end. The house itself featured in the movie looks a little like the old plantation set in the 40s Universal Horror movies. I wonder if this is so and if it still survives? I liked the cast; Kate Hudson and Gena Rowlands are especially good; and the late John Hurt does extremely well as a stroke victim desperately trying to convey to Hudson's nurse that something is deeply wrong. Voodoo hasn't been used for a while in major horror films, so it's nice to see an atmospheric movie in this vein.If only it was quieter in its conclusion: the action gets a bit silly, to be honest. Overall, though, I quite enjoyed it. Just next time give credit to HPL, huh?
Tweekums
This chiller in centred on hospice assistant Caroline Ellis; she has become somewhat disenchanted with the place she works to replies to an advert for a live-in carer at an old plantation house deep in the bayous. When she gets there she meets Violet Devereaux and her husband Benjamin; he has suffered a stroke and can't care for himself
it will be Caroline's job to look after him for his remaining days. Shortly after arriving she is given a skeleton key that opens every door in the house. She finds a door in the attic that it won't open; Mrs Devereaux explains that the room hasn't been entered since she and her husband moved in several decades ago. Caroline manages to get into the room and discovers various spells, potions and other hoodoo paraphernalia. It turns out the room originally belonged to Mama Cecile and Papa Justify; two servants who had been lynched ninety years before. She investigates further and starts to believe that Mrs Devereaux is responsible for what happened to her husband and that she too is in real danger.If you want gore, a high body count and plenty of jump-scares this won't be the film for you; however if you want a decent atmospheric chiller that is creepy rather than scary then this film may be worth checking out. The setting adds to the films atmosphere; the sort of Deep South location where one can easily believe unpleasant things happened in the bad old days. Kate Hudson does a solid enough job as Caroline and Gena Rowlands manages to be suitably creepy while being a charming southern lady as Violet. John Hurt is impressive as Benjamin; a character who barely says a word but conveys a lot of emotion with every look. The story progresses at a decent pace and there are a few twists the ending isn't a total surprise though
certainly anybody who has seen 'The Wicker Man' is likely to figure out that being the protagonist doesn't guarantee Caroline's ultimate safety. Overall though I thought this was an effective and atmospheric chiller.
pigmaios
This movie.... Oh this movie.... It starts so good with the occult stuff. But there are some moments... They reduced my IQ or something.First things first! You just immobilized the bad old lady. What you do? 1) Leave her and go away 2) Leave her and go away with the crippled old man 3) Kill her before she kills you 4) Restrain her somehow and then go away taking your time And yes, the best character in a horror movie picks the second option... Either way, you manage to get away without the old man, what you do? 1) Go to the police and say that someone just tried to kill you 2) You go to your best friend and explain everything to her 3) You go to the one man you know for a week or so, associated with the bad old lady. YES, she picked 3 for some reason. Next, you throw the bad old lady from the stairs, and she came all the way up without legs, what do you do? 1) Kill her, because she cant even move 2) Restrain her 3) Run with fear somewhere to do spooky stuff inside a place with candles, ready for a ritual. YES, our character chooses the third option again... Last but not least, the spooky stuff can hurt you if you believe in them. What do you do? 1) You are somewhat of a doctor and don't believe in these idiotic things. Plus you explained to your best friend the placebo effect. 2) You believe in the occult stuff and get yourself in danger. 3) You are an open minded being as you said in the first half of the movie, and thus you don't believe in these stuff again. And yes she picked 2 and somehow died.Well this movie has a very bad script, and the main character is not logical at all.... Pretty much disappointing movie, don't bother watch it. The actors though did a good job in this one.
AD
