The Painted

The idea of souls trapped in paintings and thus haunting a house wherever the paints go is pretty unique. It's that classic horror of "the paintings move/eyes follow me" that surprisingly is rarely seen in horror films. The story of how the painting became possessed by a demon was also pretty good, although it took a lot of expiation during the final third of the movie to finally catch the audience up. And the character development of the kids was also decent. Usually a movie will just show some basic family drama with little to no resolution, or they just magically get along at the very end. Here tho there is clear animosity from the older teenage daughter towards her much younger sister (cliche sure), but as the movie develops we see them not only start to repair their relationship but by the end actually the older daughter takes on a much more nurturing relationship towards her little sister. So props to the movie having some actual character development. The movie is also set in the 1960s which, while it never really shows this era well beyond a few scenes, it at least removes the problem of having cell phones, internet etc of the modern era.

Where the movie misses marks for me are the parents, aka the actual main characters. For some reason this movie had to follow the modern trope of making the dad a jerk and sex obsessed while making the mom the universal victim despite being the least caring woman on the planet. And the sad thing is the dad actually does a lot to protect his kids while his wife is always gone doing her own thing, yet somehow we are still meant to see him as the bad guy. And to have him randomly just shout during a normal conversation with zero provocation is just unhinged on the writers part. People don't act like that.

If the writers got their heads out of their you know what, this could've been a solid flick.

What a cool surprise! A fresh take on an old idea. There have been movies that use pictures & mirrors as portholes, but there is alot more going on here.

A woman is contacted & informed that she is the executor of her cusions estate. Her family travels to the house where odd events begin. The house is filled with paintings of the decendants of the original owner and at night the paintings come alive.

An interesting cast that works well together. An amazing house and overall set design. The lighting was great, erie st times. What a difference good writing makes! The story keeps moving and is intertesting.

A young guy named Sasha Sibley was the Writer and Director and wow, i cant wait to see what he does next. This film is good, start to finish. Every now and then a good one comes along and this is a good one.

I appreciate the challenges that come with a low-budget production, and I made an effort to manage my expectations while watching. The horror concept is fresh and intriguing but lacks support from the cast's performances and script. The lead actress's expressions could have been more nuanced, though the older daughter demonstrated stronger acting skills.

I appreciate the seamless movement of the paintings, particularly when one is reflected in the mirror. This aspect of the movie truly stands out to me and enhances my overall enjoyment. If a more talented cast were assembled or if this concept were integrated into the Conjuring franchise, it could enhance the film's overall potential.

The introduction of the film was well done,I was fooled into thinking it'd be the early couple at the start of the movie. The core of the story is a nice break from jump scares,CGI shortcuts,and actual lighting effects to establish a spooky atmosphere. The acting was fine,I'd say it was "TV movie" accurate. But they all delivered,even with the briefest of screentime. While there is nudity,it's tastefully done,not a distraction at all from the scenes. This could develop into a series,even if it's pushed to streaming. Im hoping for an eventual sequel set in present day,I think with maybe a graffiti twist to the story lore. I'd gladly rewatch this movie and recommend it to friends!

I had never heard about this 2024 horror movie titled "The Painted" from writer and director Sasha Sibley prior to stumbling upon it by sheer chance here in 2025. And given my love of all things horror, and with this being a horror movie that I had never seen, of course I opted to check it out.

And I will say that the movie's synopsis certainly sounded interesting enough. Writer Sasha Sibley put together an entertaining and enjoyable enough script and storyline. I have to say that I really did like the concept idea with the paintings.

While I was not familiar with the majority of the actors and actresses on the cast list, then I will say that the acting performances were good. I do enjoy watching unfamiliar and new talents on the screen whenever I watch a movie. I do believe that the only familiar face on the screen for me was actor Sean Bridgers.

The special effects in the movie were good and helped further the movie's narrative nicely.

"The Painted" is a watchable horror movie, no doubt about that. But it was hardly an outstanding foray into the horror genre, and the movie just doesn't warrants more than a single viewing. But maybe newcomers to the horror genre will enjoy the movie way more than I did, as a seasoned horror veteran.

My rating of writer and director Sasha Sibley's 2024 movie "The Painted" lands on a five out of ten stars.