Unabashed Horror Fan. That's me. Hundreds upon hundreds of horror films over the years. As I write this, I'm wearing a Freddy Krueger sweater, not because it's Halloween, but because when I look down, I automatically remember the feeling I got when I first saw my first NOES film, and the following weeks that brought me nightmares because of it. Why devote so much time in the pursuit of a feeling that causes me misery? That's a question for another blog, and perhaps a therapist to answer. My point? I know horror, and have even become slightly jaded towards it over the years. But it's rare for me to actually find the high that I'm looking for whenever I'm watching a horror film.
THIS movie gave me just that. I still had chills running through me as I drove home and even as I settled into bed.
It isn't gory. It isn't graphic. Because of this, I feel like the Saw/Hostel crowd will balk at it's reliance on mood and tension as it's primary fear factors. Today's horror offerings use blood and brutality as a crutch, which is ok, these things are what we want as horror fans. But when they are conspicuously missing, I take notice, and I applaud the filmmakers for going back to the origins of true horror and try to reach right to the core of what can effect an audience without using gallons of Karo syrup and red food coloring.
The film opens up as one of our two main protagonists has recently bought a very expensive camera to document the strange goings-on that have been bothering the couple for some time, and everything we experience comes from the edited version of this footage, apparently put together by the studio (with thanks to the victim's families) so that their story can be told. And it's a story that I was riveted to from start to finish.
If you're looking for something spooky to watch this Halloween season, may I suggest you put away the red food coloring for this one and experience a bare-bones but effective horror experience.
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