I'm certainly in the minority here, if the current reviews are anything to go by. In fact, they were so spectacularly negative, that I felt the need to witness some of this trainwreck for myself, fully expecting another dreadful Netflix Original.
But half an hour in, I was already loving it.
Now this is my kind of horror. No boring old zombies, no possessed dolls, ghosts or creepy children, no knife-wielding serial killers that appear and disappear like ninjas in the shadows. All of which are overdone tiresome tropes that do nothing for me. But eerie offbeat macabre concepts are exactly the type of things I'm on board with. Other dimensions? demonic portals? The more sinister parts of the occult? Otherworldly hallucinations that lead to madness? Yes please.
Halfway through the movie I felt I had to Google some stuff, where I discovered the story is based on a novella by Nathan Ballingrud; a story I've had on my To-Read-List for a while. So no wonder I was so into this. I then promptly ordered the author's short-story collection which includes Wounds, but otherwise titled The Visible Filth.
Now, apart from some notably ambiguous actions and events, I love the constant permeating thrum when Will (Armie Hammer) is either in his home or that of his friend Eric. It's a constant sense of dread and unease. It reminded me of some of the weirder and more ominous scenes in a David Lynch production, except this was dialled up to 11 and remained that way for a good chunk of its overall duration.
I kinda love that Armie Hammer chose this role. He plays the type of guy who looks like he never leaves the house, despite having a full-time bar job. I mean, the guy is practically an Adonis of a man, but still managed to play the 'loser' guy pretty well. Dakota on the other hand, looked even sexier than usual and with hardly even doing much. Although the way she violently stomps on a cockroach whilst casually sitting at the breakfast table, so blasé, the rest of her body at rest... wow; if that was my woman, I would lunge in for a fervent passionate kiss right then.
I guess it's not a crowd-pleasing movie, though I'm not alone. I did find, upon searching, many other 4 and 5 star reviews praising it. So for a select few (myself included) this is a nice little gem, and we're happy to revel in the darkness of its obscurity.
The only negative I can think of is that some of the writing/dialogue is a bit choppy - but forgivable. Also, it left me wanting more. But I guess that was the point. The final shot was definitely a keeper.
Now this is my kind of horror. No boring old zombies, no possessed dolls, ghosts or creepy children, no knife-wielding serial killers that appear and disappear like ninjas in the shadows. All of which are overdone tiresome tropes that do nothing for me. But eerie offbeat macabre concepts are exactly the type of things I'm on board with. Other dimensions? demonic portals? The more sinister parts of the occult? Otherworldly hallucinations that lead to madness? Yes please.
Halfway through the movie I felt I had to Google some stuff, where I discovered the story is based on a novella by Nathan Ballingrud; a story I've had on my To-Read-List for a while. So no wonder I was so into this. I then promptly ordered the author's short-story collection which includes Wounds, but otherwise titled The Visible Filth.
Now, apart from some notably ambiguous actions and events, I love the constant permeating thrum when Will (Armie Hammer) is either in his home or that of his friend Eric. It's a constant sense of dread and unease. It reminded me of some of the weirder and more ominous scenes in a David Lynch production, except this was dialled up to 11 and remained that way for a good chunk of its overall duration.
I kinda love that Armie Hammer chose this role. He plays the type of guy who looks like he never leaves the house, despite having a full-time bar job. I mean, the guy is practically an Adonis of a man, but still managed to play the 'loser' guy pretty well. Dakota on the other hand, looked even sexier than usual and with hardly even doing much. Although the way she violently stomps on a cockroach whilst casually sitting at the breakfast table, so blasé, the rest of her body at rest... wow; if that was my woman, I would lunge in for a fervent passionate kiss right then.
I guess it's not a crowd-pleasing movie, though I'm not alone. I did find, upon searching, many other 4 and 5 star reviews praising it. So for a select few (myself included) this is a nice little gem, and we're happy to revel in the darkness of its obscurity.
The only negative I can think of is that some of the writing/dialogue is a bit choppy - but forgivable. Also, it left me wanting more. But I guess that was the point. The final shot was definitely a keeper.