Rating: 5.7
Overall, a film that has the elements to be a good horror movie as everything begins to click by the climax, but the movie is held back by its convoluted concept/storytelling and mediocre performances.
Decent Direction (The direction on a macroscale is good as the horror elements are laid out well (even though there are moments where he tries to do a lot); the direction on a microscale is Bad as a lot of the performances do not feel that elevated, and some of the interpersonal scenes feel kinda off/forced; the storytelling is not the best as the conflict is not really explained that well (even though they try to explain it); he builds tension well as the movie is pretty good on a horror/action scale), Pretty Bad to Decent Acting (Pretty Bad from Hunter Schafer (Shows she has some tools to make her a good actress, but it feels like she hits an acting limit in a lot of the interpersonal/emotional scenes because her energy is off from what is needed), Decent from Dan Stevens (Plays the antagonist well and holds his demeanor in a very sinister, yet calm way), Decent from Jessica Henwick (She's really just there in this movie), Pretty Bad to Decent from the rest of the cast (Some actors do have a significant impact on the movie, but some show inexperience and a lack of chemistry; the child actor does a pretty good job with what she is given)), Decent Story (The concept is interesting but a bit convoluted as they try to explain the conflict, but its not done is a coherent way; the plot structure is decent; flow between sequences is not the best in the beginning but gets better towards the halfway point; the character writing is good as they do a good job at showing the different conflicts the protagonist are going through, as well as giving different dimensions to the antagonist and minor characters)), Pretty Bad Screenplay (The dialogue is a little off and not that natural, but overall is decent; the humor is a bit forced, but it is fine for the most part; the symbolism is somewhat there; the foreshadowing is somewhat there, but could be better), Decent Score (Used well to establish the tone and build tension in the horror moments), Decent Cinematography, Pretty Bad Editing (I was not really a fan of how they used the ripple effects to show supernatural powers because I felt it was pretty tacky), Pretty Good Sound (Helps emphasize the horror and supernatural elements), Pretty Bad Visual Effects (Feels kinda tacky and low-budget, especially during the supernatural moments), Pacing is a bit on the slower side for most of the movie (but the movie does find a good pace towards the end), Climax is executed well as it definitely was the scariest part (and it felt like all the elements were finally coming together), Tone was very similar to other supernatural horror movies, Saw the International Premiere at SXSW; This movie does have tools to be a good horror movie (but it just feels like this was a test run for a very new director, I would love to see him do a follow-up where he learns from this experience)
Decent Direction (The direction on a macroscale is good as the horror elements are laid out well (even though there are moments where he tries to do a lot); the direction on a microscale is Bad as a lot of the performances do not feel that elevated, and some of the interpersonal scenes feel kinda off/forced; the storytelling is not the best as the conflict is not really explained that well (even though they try to explain it); he builds tension well as the movie is pretty good on a horror/action scale), Pretty Bad to Decent Acting (Pretty Bad from Hunter Schafer (Shows she has some tools to make her a good actress, but it feels like she hits an acting limit in a lot of the interpersonal/emotional scenes because her energy is off from what is needed), Decent from Dan Stevens (Plays the antagonist well and holds his demeanor in a very sinister, yet calm way), Decent from Jessica Henwick (She's really just there in this movie), Pretty Bad to Decent from the rest of the cast (Some actors do have a significant impact on the movie, but some show inexperience and a lack of chemistry; the child actor does a pretty good job with what she is given)), Decent Story (The concept is interesting but a bit convoluted as they try to explain the conflict, but its not done is a coherent way; the plot structure is decent; flow between sequences is not the best in the beginning but gets better towards the halfway point; the character writing is good as they do a good job at showing the different conflicts the protagonist are going through, as well as giving different dimensions to the antagonist and minor characters)), Pretty Bad Screenplay (The dialogue is a little off and not that natural, but overall is decent; the humor is a bit forced, but it is fine for the most part; the symbolism is somewhat there; the foreshadowing is somewhat there, but could be better), Decent Score (Used well to establish the tone and build tension in the horror moments), Decent Cinematography, Pretty Bad Editing (I was not really a fan of how they used the ripple effects to show supernatural powers because I felt it was pretty tacky), Pretty Good Sound (Helps emphasize the horror and supernatural elements), Pretty Bad Visual Effects (Feels kinda tacky and low-budget, especially during the supernatural moments), Pacing is a bit on the slower side for most of the movie (but the movie does find a good pace towards the end), Climax is executed well as it definitely was the scariest part (and it felt like all the elements were finally coming together), Tone was very similar to other supernatural horror movies, Saw the International Premiere at SXSW; This movie does have tools to be a good horror movie (but it just feels like this was a test run for a very new director, I would love to see him do a follow-up where he learns from this experience)