I didn't expect much from this movie, but came away pleasantly surprised.
This movie went under the radar, mostly because it was a smaller studio with unknown actors...but then again, what was the last good horror movie from a major studio with big actors? I'm finding that these smaller projects are much better horror films than the drivel coming out of Big Hollywood these days.
Anyway, the acting is good, the special effects pretty good, the plot line is exceptional, and the setting is perfect.
Just be aware, the subtitles are not there on purpose (if you are watching the English version). The idea is that the main characters don't know Polish, so the viewer will be just as in-the-dark as the characters. A very clever (though not entirely novel approach) but it works great with this film.
The plot, if you don't know already, involves an ambitious journalist, her intern, and her frustrated boyfriend traveling to Poland to write a story on missing tourists from one area. They find the village and it appears to be a bit different; almost stuck in an earlier time period. The townspeople are very distant, bordering on hostile.
At this point, you might guess that this is some sort of Hostle/Wicker Man knockoff, but be prepared to be surprised.
This movie is worth watching. Don't let the bad reviews turn you away...you'll enjoy this movie!
Spoilers:
Even after the two girls go into the fog, I was still not expecting where the plot went. I still assumed that this was some group of devil- worshippers or something like that. I think the movie has this as a strength; there are so many movies that have that same tired template and it was really a good surprise to see something new. The bad guys are not really the bad guys at all in this one.
I also loved the shrine in the fog...that made the movie for me. It was just perfect. I also love how the entire story around it was not fully explained...just given a vague overview at the very end. You can sort of figure it out: the shrine likely is the embodiment of Satan left on earth after he was expelled from Heaven or something like that.
The ending was also very creepy. I was really not expecting the girl to become the demon or Satan and become a monster that had to be killed.
This movie went under the radar, mostly because it was a smaller studio with unknown actors...but then again, what was the last good horror movie from a major studio with big actors? I'm finding that these smaller projects are much better horror films than the drivel coming out of Big Hollywood these days.
Anyway, the acting is good, the special effects pretty good, the plot line is exceptional, and the setting is perfect.
Just be aware, the subtitles are not there on purpose (if you are watching the English version). The idea is that the main characters don't know Polish, so the viewer will be just as in-the-dark as the characters. A very clever (though not entirely novel approach) but it works great with this film.
The plot, if you don't know already, involves an ambitious journalist, her intern, and her frustrated boyfriend traveling to Poland to write a story on missing tourists from one area. They find the village and it appears to be a bit different; almost stuck in an earlier time period. The townspeople are very distant, bordering on hostile.
At this point, you might guess that this is some sort of Hostle/Wicker Man knockoff, but be prepared to be surprised.
This movie is worth watching. Don't let the bad reviews turn you away...you'll enjoy this movie!
Spoilers:
Even after the two girls go into the fog, I was still not expecting where the plot went. I still assumed that this was some group of devil- worshippers or something like that. I think the movie has this as a strength; there are so many movies that have that same tired template and it was really a good surprise to see something new. The bad guys are not really the bad guys at all in this one.
I also loved the shrine in the fog...that made the movie for me. It was just perfect. I also love how the entire story around it was not fully explained...just given a vague overview at the very end. You can sort of figure it out: the shrine likely is the embodiment of Satan left on earth after he was expelled from Heaven or something like that.
The ending was also very creepy. I was really not expecting the girl to become the demon or Satan and become a monster that had to be killed.