Oh dear, what did I just see?
Before you continue: please be aware that by my comparisons in this review might include a spoiler for another movie !
"Within" (a.k.a. "Crawlspace") is the kind of horror movies, that start out quite well, but lose all their swing during the movie.
The alternative title "Crawlspace" basically gives it away right from the beginning. A family of three moves into a new house. From minute one there are noises from behind the walls and from the attic. Of course no one besides the teenage daughter hears it, and of course no one believers her, even though the whole city knows about some gruesome murders, that took place in the house just a few years ago. Never solved those murders, of course. When things start to happen in the house, the family shifts between thinking it may be the neighbor and totally ignoring everything. Horror business as usual, until the ridiculous and very obvious end.
The acting is okay - Michael Vartan is kind of a veteran and delivers. The mother was forgettable, but ah, Erin Moriarty is the star of the movie. She is young and hot and real eye candy, though her acting skills might be debatable. Also, it was a bit too much - was the director in love with her or something? Sometimes I really felt like a voyeur, who is just drooling all the time about this (in the movie) 17 year old teenage girl in underwear. She basically was all time in tight shirts, hot pants or panties. Don't get me wrong, I like to see cute girls in light clothing as much as every average male horror fan - but I don't like it if the movie centers around that. Underworld 2, anyone?
Everything, that MIGHT have become good in this movie, got lost after about half of the movie. Not only can you suspect what is happening right from the start, but the movie even solves up what is going on before the last third of the movie. From then things just get ridiculous. The murderer is suddenly kind of supernaturally strong and quick, there are two really horrible attempts at a "twist" (both fail horribly), and the finale of the movie is just badly executed and made me face palm.
Also, the base idea of the movie is - in my opinion - directly stolen from "The Boy", with the difference, that "The Boy" actually was a very decent movie, that got everything right, that "Within" could not do.
This movie did more feel like a student's project. For this, I would have rated it higher. But for a real attempt to succeed on the market, 4 stars are close to being too much. I give 2 stars for beautiful Erin Moriarty, one star for Michael Vartan and one star for the really good soundtrack. I am still singing "Are you alone now" while writing this review. Get the song, it's great.
If you don't expect anything and just wanna pass some time, while watching a pretty girl doing stupid stuff, then you will be okay with "Within".
If you have a certain level, that movies must not underpass, you should probably skip this one. Go and watch "The Boy", it's the better movie.
Before you continue: please be aware that by my comparisons in this review might include a spoiler for another movie !
"Within" (a.k.a. "Crawlspace") is the kind of horror movies, that start out quite well, but lose all their swing during the movie.
The alternative title "Crawlspace" basically gives it away right from the beginning. A family of three moves into a new house. From minute one there are noises from behind the walls and from the attic. Of course no one besides the teenage daughter hears it, and of course no one believers her, even though the whole city knows about some gruesome murders, that took place in the house just a few years ago. Never solved those murders, of course. When things start to happen in the house, the family shifts between thinking it may be the neighbor and totally ignoring everything. Horror business as usual, until the ridiculous and very obvious end.
The acting is okay - Michael Vartan is kind of a veteran and delivers. The mother was forgettable, but ah, Erin Moriarty is the star of the movie. She is young and hot and real eye candy, though her acting skills might be debatable. Also, it was a bit too much - was the director in love with her or something? Sometimes I really felt like a voyeur, who is just drooling all the time about this (in the movie) 17 year old teenage girl in underwear. She basically was all time in tight shirts, hot pants or panties. Don't get me wrong, I like to see cute girls in light clothing as much as every average male horror fan - but I don't like it if the movie centers around that. Underworld 2, anyone?
Everything, that MIGHT have become good in this movie, got lost after about half of the movie. Not only can you suspect what is happening right from the start, but the movie even solves up what is going on before the last third of the movie. From then things just get ridiculous. The murderer is suddenly kind of supernaturally strong and quick, there are two really horrible attempts at a "twist" (both fail horribly), and the finale of the movie is just badly executed and made me face palm.
Also, the base idea of the movie is - in my opinion - directly stolen from "The Boy", with the difference, that "The Boy" actually was a very decent movie, that got everything right, that "Within" could not do.
This movie did more feel like a student's project. For this, I would have rated it higher. But for a real attempt to succeed on the market, 4 stars are close to being too much. I give 2 stars for beautiful Erin Moriarty, one star for Michael Vartan and one star for the really good soundtrack. I am still singing "Are you alone now" while writing this review. Get the song, it's great.
If you don't expect anything and just wanna pass some time, while watching a pretty girl doing stupid stuff, then you will be okay with "Within".
If you have a certain level, that movies must not underpass, you should probably skip this one. Go and watch "The Boy", it's the better movie.