The Black String

There are horror movies where you really have to suspend your disbelief - way more than with others that is. Especially I reckon for fans of Muniz, who know him from something completely different. Sometimes it is quite tough to imagine a certain person as something else.

Also I reckon because of that or generally will not buy into the character he's portraying. But if you can overcome all these obstacles, there is some "fun" to be had. There is enough tension and there is ambiguity and enough horror plus thrill to keep this going til the end ...

The Black String It was not just one of the best independent films I've seen, but a very well done film of any kind.

Congratulations to producer-director-writer Brian Hanson and producer-writer-actor Richard Handley for their very impressive film

Frankie Muniz (Agent Cody Banks, Malcolm in the Middle) gave an excellent performance in the lead role. Chelsea Edmundson and Mary K DeVault were also very good in two of the larger supporting roles.

Oded Fehr is in this movie, but isn't listed anywhere or on anything! Why? X.

The film itself is an interesting idea, but there are large chunks that could have been cut and it would have made NO difference to the film. Some of the effects were very good, but some were awful. I really enjoyed the imagery of the 'visions/hallucinations' and wanted more from that and the mythos behind it. It can be quite gory in places, so if that's not your thing, this might not be the film for you.

It's an interesting horror movie with elements of different genres, but it isn't going to change the world or cinema any time soon.

For some reason the reviews on here are trending negative. This is a paranoia-fuelled nerd ride to hell as the main character is in a dead end job bored to death with his best friend telling him he needs to get laid. One night he gets high and the TV tells him to phone a number to meet some mystery girl. He does. Chaos ensues. Evil abounds. Bad ending for my dude. It's a solid movie. It doesn't try to be huge. It is what it is. I rate it fully. Peace.

I love movies that keep you guessing between possible narratives, and The Black String delivered without being overwrought or pretentious. Just fun characters, a well-paced story and a great balance of scares, suspense, and a few laughs.

There are no deep dives into character backgrounds, but it's not necessary. Everyone is likable or spooky enough to keep the plot moving. Muniz is a sympathetic protagonist, and you are pretty quickly sucked into his world. A few little hints at past events are adequate to add some depth. The bad guys are sufficiently menacing and the clerk buddy is good comic relief.

This film is a welcome respite from horror films that are trying too hard to win gold medals for suspense, gore, zeitgeist or twists. It's a worthy entry in the genre that the writers and director can be proud of and fans will enjoy.