The Hanged Girl

This film tries hard to say something inside if a haunted setting. Unfortunately, the message isn't very subtle, and the messaging is heavy handed. The characters are one dimensional, and the plotting suffers with similar one note points.

I'm confused on the haunted part of the story as this isn't really present other than as a setting element. Otherwise, the plot is just people who aren't willing to be honest with each other. Oh, and one character is Muslim, for whatever that is worth. And that seems to be a point of prejudice.

The plotting has many slow and dull moments. They seemed to just fill time with anything they could find to point the camera. Or have random emoting from the movie actors. Or over the top stereotypical behaviors.

And, don't expect much clarification about what is happening or what happened. They don't offer much except a cliched twist, leaving the story pointless from the supernatural elements that they don't explore. Amazing that mildly deranged hatred is a major point in a movie.

You can skip this one without any worries.

This is a well made horror movie that was a complete surprise. I found the film on YouTube and was completely blown away. The direction and camera work are excellent, as is the pacing and editing. I was not expecting too much being on YouTube, however, I found this film's premise and plot to be well crafted and cleverly executed. The director has utilised his cast to to his full advantage and they have delivered sound performances. This film is a true example of how the Australian Horror genre has grown in recent years and this filmmaker is someone to watch in the future. A highly enjoyable and thrilling experience. A must see!!!

Hoping for a low budget wicked Aussie gem here, but this was definitely not it. Unconvincing muddled characters and interactions make this a chore to get through. The dialogue is boring, and completely void of a story or plot. Overly dramatic scores were used to make up tension, when none is present on screen. After 65 minutes of tedious suffering I called it quits. Nothing was offered up to hold interest, scares, or any entertainment value at all, really. Much better offerings out there if you are scraping the low budget or cheap thrills bin. Skip over this one unless you want to use it as a sleep aid.

This Aussie flick delivers a gritty, authentic experience on a shoestring budget. Despite limited resources, the film's raw cinematography captures characters emotions. The plot, centered around a group of friends navigating challenges, is engaging. The genuine camaraderie among the cast shines through. The film's charm lies in its simplicity, offering a refreshing departure from high-budget blockbusters. The haunting at Saint Joseph's is a commendable effort, showcasing the resilience of Australian independent cinema. I wasn't really familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, and I enjoyed it.

I have to admit that I was initially lured into watching the 2023 horror movie "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" given the somewhat interesting cover/poster that the movie had. Sure, I had never even heard about the movie, prior to sitting down to watch it, so I had no clue as to what I was in for here.

And talk about a swing and a miss of a script and storyline from writer and director Jon Cohen. The storyline and narrative in "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" utterly failed to capture my interest, and the pacing of the narrative was just insanely bland and mundane. And to make matters even worse and all the more unbearable, then there was nothing interesting happening throughout the slow paced narrative.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. And that is usually something I enjoy when I sit down to watch a movie, as I don't accidentally associate the actors and actresses with previously portrayed characters in other movies. But the actors and actresses in "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" never stood a snowball's chance in Hell here, because they virtually were given nothing worthwhile to work with in terms of script, characters or dialogue.

As for "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" being a horror movie, well... That might be stretching it a bit. But then again, what some consider horror, I might just consider thriller. But this 2023 movie from writer and director Jon Cohen certainly was no horror movie to me, but then again I have been watching horror movies ever since I was about 8 years old.

This movie is not really worth the effort, and it is most certainly not a movie that I would recommend you to waste your time, money or effort on. Some of us suffered through this, so you don't have to.

My rating of writer and director Jon Cohen's 2023 movie "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" lands on a two out of ten stars.