The_Swedish_Reviewer

What was the point of having so much sex between Kirsten and Katy, especially when we know that Katy is openly gay. Would it be okay if two gay men had a deep discussion about how one of them performed so-called self-service? Probably not. But is it okay if two lesbian girls do it? I'm not conservative or old-fashioned; in fact, I consider myself very liberal. But these drawn-out sex scenes added nothing to the story, other than trying to be left-wing progressive.

There is some good tension in the middle of the film that I actually enjoyed, but too many questions and plot holes left a lot to be desired. Like the trip to Vegas, what a disappointment. And what happened to the brutal beating? No legal consequences or follow-up, so I guess it's an unnecessary filler. The relationship between Kirsten and her father (Ed Harris) also didn't make a lot of sense. If she hated him so much, why did she work at his gym? Then we have "Daisy" (Anna Baryshnikov) who is of course gay and whose involvement as a lovesick snitch, which led to her ultimate fate, felt incredibly far-fetched and dumb.

Finally, the big fiasco - the ending. It completely ruined the movie. It's probably the most ridiculous ending I've ever seen in my life. I'm actually still angry that the script was written that way, because the movie turned from a reasonably entertaining action thriller into a children's movie. Stupid, ridiculous, childish, embarrassing and very cringe.

I've been watching horror movies for ages, but this was a journey I didn't expect and the only that sort of compares is "Jacob's Ladder", even though they are completely different in many ways. It's tough to review this one without spoiling, but I can safely say that it held my attention all the way through. All I can say it's not your typical jump-scare horror flick and this is probably why I liked it.

What brings my rating down a bit were the performances - "Cassie" (Sasha Lane) felt pretty clichéd, the way she acted didn't make sense, and overall she is a very unrealistic teenage-movie type of character. Also, Luke (Miles Robbins) came across as stiff and overdirected at times and the only thing that beats his haircut is a mullet. Patrick Swartzenegger as "Daniel" did an acceptable job, but tried too hard to come across as unpleasant, creepy, charismatic and unsettling. So, the casting and direction are the film's weakest points.

On the other hand, the whole film plays like an escalating nightmare, descending into a twisted alternate and supernatural reality where fantasy and reality blur, without becoming too artsy and weird, even though this IS a weird film. This is what makes it quite unique. The further it goes, the more unsettling it becomes. There is also no overuse of visual effects/CGI and in this case, it works really well. Sometimes less is more. I do wish there were more freaky, deformed creatures to dial up the terror, but overall I'm giving it a solid 7 out of 10.

This one is definitely not for everyone, so please check out a few of the negative reviews before you make up your mind.