Reviews & Ratings for
The Yellow Wallpaper More at IMDbPro »

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11 out of 16 people found the following review useful:

Beautifully shot, a Days of Heaven type film

Author: davidacting from United States
10 August 2011

I saw this film in a private screening of 30 industry professionals. Producers came out and said, they understood if we didn't like it, no problem. I guess they have been laboring over the film for a couple years. Do not expect your typical horror film from this one. A few people looked a little stunned after the film. Since I had never read the story -- I guess it is required reading in high school and college - - how the hell did I miss that? ... probably from being a total deadbeat in high school... I went into the film unaware. It is a period film, which is pretty cool, and set before 1900 or something. . . I can say one thing about the film... I never guessed the ending. You actually have no idea was is going to happen in the end. This is a breath of fresh air, when it seems like everything nowadays is just a remake or some stupid idea that has never been fleshed out correctly. Because the story is famous, I am sure more people will hate it because it doesn't adhere to the story exactly. I don't know much about the original story, but what they did with the the film was pretty unique. it has a dream-like. I think this is what movies are supposed to capture. Good job Mr. director.

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:

Beautifully artistic, wonderfully played roles, and truly psychologically thrilling

Author: stolenfruit from United States
27 August 2012

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

First off I want to say (although one of the above reviewers mentioned it), it is blatantly obvious that this movie is inspired by the short story, not an adaptation of the short story. This has been done with countless films and pieces of literature. It is a very common thing to draw inspiration from either real life events and people or renowned fictional characters and retell their stories. The first clue is that the mother's name is Charlotte - coincidentally the same name of the famous author! And if you aren't certain at that point, later, in bed, Charlotte says she wrote a story called "The Yellow Wallpaper." One has to pick up on these little "hints" (aka blunt statements). Sometimes you gotta dig a little deeper, ya know?

The film makes reference to the attitude that female education is of no use and this is a very important part of the film because the short story was a very important piece of feminist literature. When Gilman wrote the story there were many of her peers that questioned her sanity. Gilman herself suffered from severe postpartum psychosis. People questioned her sanity because her fictional character in The Yellow Wallpaper experienced psychosis and they wondered if Gilman was mentally sound. This film is supposed to be inspired by both the life of the author and the important piece of literature with its own twist. The death of Charlotte's child in the film, rather than the true to life psychosis experienced by both the author and her fictional woman while their babies survived, is merely a symbol for the separation of a mother from her child and the mental anguish she experiences. And that is only the beginning.

Different taste is one thing but sometimes I wish some people would put more thought into the deeper meaning of things before they cast something aside.

Although I would have liked a bit more clarity towards the end, the movie is so psychologically intriguing, the acting is excellent, the emotional display so genuine, and the use of color is exquisite. I love the way it was shot. There is something scary even in that aspect of the film! The sound effects and music are wonderful. I was terrified! I watched it alone in the middle of the night. I had to stop it twice and smoke a cigarette because I was so tense!

It is so refreshingly different than the plethora of so-called horror films and psychological thrillers that rely upon gore or other elements that must top the previous films of its genre rather than setting it apart. This is truly a psychological thriller because the viewer is expected to - gasp - use their own mind to imagine, for example, what the hell is under that blanker towards the end ((shudder)) or what is in the dark (the scene where John went from room to room with that candelabra was too scary!), or what on earth is in that hole under the house! John simply reaching into that hole that I could barely make out was enough to make me scared! The director doesn't say, "I have no respect for my audience's ability to figure anything out or to use their own imagination since it has been all but destroyed by the over- stimulation of the senses of modern technology so I will show them everything and tell them everything and let them know when they should be scared or shocked." Bah. If you still have am mind that can stimulate ITSELF, see this film.

9 out of 14 people found the following review useful:

Love this movie!

Author: mkratts from Niagara Falls, NY
2 May 2012

I highly recommend this movie to everyone. It was one of the most desolate, mysterious and frightening movies I have ever seen. I decided to watch it in the middle of the afternoon with the sun pouring into my living room but it was night everywhere.

There is something of the Brothers Grimm in here. There are terrifying forest scenes. An artistic conflict between light and dark. But most of all there is a horrible loneliness and sense of loss and helplessness and desperation. The Yellow Wallpaper is a picture of total misery and fear and desperation. There is nothing worse in the world than the loss of a child and this film takes us to the limit.

I have always loved the story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman but now I love it even more! What a unique and interesting way bring a classic story to a new generation--with a few surprises, too.

8 out of 13 people found the following review useful:

A truly enjoyable film

Author: weav59 from United States
30 April 2012

This is a period piece filled with thousands of tiny, rich details: the creepy, chilling way the sun sets, the sense of foreboding mixed with anticipation, the ladies' dresses that look so stiff and uncomfortable that you feel faint and sweaty, too. The men have that dandy look of that time, but the dustiness settles on them just enough to show they are masking big secrets. I was surprised to see so many recognizable actors in a small independent film, and I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed this film overall. The story had a good, interesting pace. There are a couple of good jolts to keep the viewer's attention, and some neat twists throughout. It was beautifully shot, with Gothic overtones - which is a feat given that it is a horror film.

10 out of 17 people found the following review useful:

Creative, Entertaining and Unique

Author: pamsunzeri from United States
12 October 2011

A real movie that has been developed for real entertainment, devoid of the fake images that Hollywood now depends upon instead of good acting, and creative scripts.

Good performances by actors, seems to be a rarity in my eyes. This movie is fantastic, with actors actually and professionally performing their skilled trade that seems to be vanishing in big Hollywood Productions and replaced by loud music and fake imagery. Oh that Hollywood, they need to come back to earth!

Extremely entertaining, beautifully and skillfully shot, scary and intriguing, an artful adaptation of the original short story, this movie seems to have it all.

I am privileged to have seen this unique film and meet its creators.

7 out of 12 people found the following review useful:

Well you can forget the story

Author: WarPoodle 2600 from United States
7 May 2012

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

What was this? It sure wasn't The Yellow Wallpaper. This dull poorly acted and horribly written film fails in nearly every way. The short story The Yellow Wallpaper was one of my favorite short stories. It is a tail of madness and isolation in its purest form. This movie missed the point entirely. I knew from the first 30 seconds that this movie was a fail because its narrated from the husbands perspective which is wrong in so many ways. The first problem with this is that this story is supposed to be an exploration of madness from inside the mind of the person going mad. It is NOT a tragic tail about the husbands problems nor is it about a dead girl. I realize that ghost stories are trendy right now but there is no need to cheapen a great work of literature by even hinting at a supernatural influence. After watching this film i am left with one big question...Did the film makers even read the short story they made this movie from?

The only positives i can give this movie is that its beautiful. The setting is perfect.. The mood and atmosphere is set so perfectly that this COULD have been a great movie.The lighting and staging puts the viewer on edge and really makes the viewer feel the melancholy isolation and tension. It is a shame that the film makers missed the point entirely and failed to explore what this story was really about. They didn't even get the perspectiv eright. missing the opportunity to put madness into a visual medium. Way to ruin a great work of literature.

2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

Fascinating, Dark, Spooky and Beautiful

Author: Stacy Lee from United States
5 August 2012

I had no expectations when I saw this film and this is one of those instances where I was thrilled to have found such a gem in something I had never even heard of. The film is quiet, slow and very dark. From the first moment the stage is set by the incredible score that only gets better throughout the movie. There is a dream-like quality that makes you wonder at times if what you're watching is what is actually going on. The lines are delivered deliberately and the actors do a fantastic job of adding to the confusion. Almost as though they are players in a play but they aren't aware they are in. There are some very recognizable actors in this movie but they play parts that are far from their "usual" roles which I found very entertaining. This is the type of movie that leaves you with "images" for weeks after you see it and I cannot say enough about the fabulous score. I plan on watching this several times in the coming weeks. What a find!

3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:

Awful!

Author: Foxpup82-79-884183 from Australia
11 November 2012

I just can't understand why everyone loves this movie! The acting was comically wooden, with the exception of the sister and the psychic. My husband gave up on it after 15 very painfully slow minutes, but I persevered with it. The story by the the way has NOTHING to do with the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" other than a reference to the "rest cure" and place of women in Victorian society. And as mentioned by another reviewer, the main character is named Charlotte, a reference to Charlotte Gilbert, who wrote the short story. Oh, and there's an attic room with yellow wallpaper that the wife sometimes retreats to, but it's existence is Pretty arbitrary. THe plot was very broken up, and half the scenes take place in very dark rooms, making it difficult to see what was going on. The ending was a bit of whatever as well - it didn't seem to match the rest of the movie. it was an interesting premise, too bad it just didn't seem to flow. This could have been a good movie if: 1. They didn't call it The Yellow Wallpaper. False advertising! Why not give it it's own name? 2. The plot had some kind of flow to it, 3. better acting! Especially the male lead, who gave the most wooden performance I have EVER seen. Sadly, these elements were not there, making this clunker a discombobulated boring mess.

5 out of 9 people found the following review useful:

Excellent highly original Horror time piece

Author: Jon Doe from yourhdd
29 April 2012

I was highly skeptical after seeing the trailer for this and all the 10 star reviews, but I have to say it was definitely worth ones time. The Yellow Wallpaper definitely had budget restraints, but that didn't really matter here. The acting and overall ambiance gradually drew me in deeper and deeper to these people's lives. The movie really had an old feel to it that a lot of Hollywood films lack. I actually felt like I was watching these people.

With that being said, The Yellow Wallpaper is a bizarre movie that has some shades of Lovecraft in it. It strays from the original short story into a full feature that stands out on its own. Im glad it took the direction it did because so many people were talking about the short I figured I pretty much already knew how it was going to end. I'm glad I was wrong.

This film is a bit of a slow burn, but it carries itself well. Its creepy, bizarre, and bleak. I recommend this to anyone who likes time pieces and Lovecraft stories.

Solid 7/10

Hated it!

Author: guitarrgirl from United States
9 June 2013

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

While not loving the short story, it certainly made an impression on me when I read it. I was anxiously awaiting that story in movie form. Boy was I disappointed. Plot line was incredibly stupid and had nothing to do with the short story. Vampires? Really? Ridiculous! The story had enough to deal with on its own and would have been a far better choice (and use of the million plus budget) than this uneven, lackluster and unbelievable plot.

Previous reviewers have pointed out the differences between the original story and this one already. And yes, I get that the movie is based on an amalgam of the authors' other stories. It just didn't work. And why not call it something other than "The Yellow Wallpaper" since it had little to do with it? Bad form!

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