The Night (Aan Shab)

I have to start by saying that since this is the debut feature film of Kourosh Ahari, he did a fairly good job in re-imagining the Iranian version of Kubrick's The Shining and the whole haunted house archetype (in this case a hotel) in an American setting. However, the very slow pace of the movie, its predictability, its stereotypical build-ups and jump-scares will fail the movie in making any dazzling impact.

The superb performances by Cannes winner Shahab Hosseini and Niousha Noor should not go unnoticed.

Saw this at the Imagine filmfestival, usually in Amsterdam but now 100% online. There were a few eerie, creepy moments (no jump scares, luckily) but it generally failed to deliver on its promising plot and the even more promising location in the form of a large yet apparently near-empty hotel.

It took us some time to be made aware that the lead couple had hidden secrets and a few other issues. It would have been more effective to include this somewhere earlier in the story to become an integral part of the tense situation. Now we only have the eeriness and the daunting location during the first hour to worry about, and not their relational problems popping up too late to become interesting.

This movie is a mixed bag: acting, photography and the general mood are very, very good. Some scenes are very effective and, indeed, so haunting.

On the other hand, the pacing is kinda slow and too much precious times gets lost with cliché jumpscares and other tricks.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to everyone, but if you like fu**ed up family dynamics and dark places, you should give this a try.

One more example of what some Polanski's films of the past can help today's directors and screen writers to find inspiration. This movie is Ok for me, not more not less than others of the same kind. Some good sequences, scary, efficiently enough to keep you awake. I am also glad to have seen an Iranian horror film; at least spoken in Farsi - I guess. And there is also a bit of SHINING too. Good film, above average in the horror mystery genre.

The Night managed to do something that few movies can accomplish: a genuine sense of confusion.

Remember In The Mouth Of Madness, the most absolute psychedelic production, where you could barely tell reality from paranoia? Well The Night is a softer version of that, but with its own merits, direction and story. I loved the fact that it was hard to understand what was happening underneath, and there was nothing for me to do but wait and see where it is all heading to. Sure some things were easy to anticipate but I won't take credit away from the movie, it did what it wanted and if this was the way everything was supposed to develop, so be it.

On the same note, I shall also recommend The Vigil (2019), and to be honest I like the latter one more, because that one left nothing for the imagination, it was straight, raw and so lovely from start to finish.

Anyway, The Night is something that I definitely recommend, for all fans of psychological horror, don't expect scary parts, jump scares or gore, it is for the mind, not eye candy.

Cheers!