Sanctuaire

I loved the storyline and the actual acting. Cheesey CG. Do without that and you've got a good one.

It started off good. The story is different and the idea of a false virgin Mary can be interesting. The acting is acceptable and CGI average.

However, it fails to nail everything down. The last half of the movie is just a bunch of walking clichés. It's like they fired the writers they got and hired the cheapest ones. Very disappointing ending. Nothing we haven't seen a thousand times before.

I was recommended to watch the 2021 horror movie "The Unholy", so of course I sat down to watch it.

And I will say that the movie definitely was watchable. Yeah, hold on now, because there is a but here; but, the movie just wasn't outstanding. The movie from writer and director Evan Spiliotopoulos just was a bit too predictable and generic, relying on jump scares that you see coming a mile away.

When I sat down to watch "The Unholy" I must admit that I was stoked, because of the movie's title, its premise and because of a rather unique and interesting ensemble of cast.

But even with the likes of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, William Sadler and Cary Elwes on the cast list, then the movie just never really managed to get out of the mediocre lane given the somewhat lazy writing and the predictability of the movie. It felt like these performers weren't really allowed to unfold and give the performance a full 100%.

"The Unholy" is a fairly generic and mediocre horror movie actually. But if you are new to the horror genre, then of course you will be in for quite something here. But for an avid horror fan such as myself, then writer and director Evan Spiliotopoulos just played it way too safe by following the how-to-make-a-horror-film blueprint.

I will say, though, that the visuals in the movie were interesting and for the most part quite good. The CGI department did their jobs quite well here. So if for nothing else, then "The Unholy" is somewhat salvaged by the visuals.

"The Unholy" wasn't the movie I was hoping for, so I sit here with a somewhat flaccid sense of 'was that really it?' here as the movie ended. I felt somewhat bereft out of what could have been a great horror movie, and was instead served a lukewarm plate of predictability.

My rating of "The Unholy" lands on a very mediocre five out of ten stars.

While The Unholy is DEFINITELY not a 10 or a 9... it ALSO isn't a 1 or a 2 (even a 3). First half of the movie feels like a different flick than the second half. First half sets things up and it's creepy and exactly what you'd expect. Second half, feels like a rush to the finish line. Almost like two different directors made this movie.

I think people that are genuine and gave the movie a low score... likely had an issue with the script and pacing. However, it's definitely a fairly original take on the classic horror genre (demonic/possession). I'll admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for horror movies based around religion as generally they seem to be more interesting to me.

That all said, I think the cast was good. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, William Sadler, Cary Elwes and Cricket Brown were all great. Cricket Brown was especially impressive because I believe this movie is one of her first larger productions and she gives the impression of being a pro in this department. At times, it felt like the cast was not as connected to the movie as they could be. Of course, the movie didn't feel connected to itself after 52 minutes and goes wildly into warp speed conclusions.

Directing and Editing were just OK and could have been better IMO.. The script however could use some work. Even though the story felt like one we've seen a million times, I liked the premise and overall theme but the movie veers off and hits walls, then takes off at full speed before veering off into more walls. It provides the conclusions verses letting the audience figure them out. First half of the movie does a good setup job for the characters and direction. Second half of the movie ignores the setup, ignores the characters and goes straight to the source of the problems. It's like they spent a year recording the first half and a month on the second.

Overall, not a bad movie. Entertaining for at least half the movie. Good premise. Good acting. Great new acting with Cricket Brown. But, hits a wall halfway through and never recovers. Solid 6 IMO due to acting and overall theme.

I have read every book the horror genius, that is James Herbert, has ever written. It was a very sad day when he passed to the other side and to be honest, I do not think it is possible to convert any of his books, realistically, to a movie format; although possibly the best and truest to the book from which it came was "Haunted (1995)" although while not a good port from the book I also enjoyed "The Survivor (1981)".

There is really no way in hell (pardon the pun) that any movie can take the atmosphere, character development, story development, and creative horror genius that exists in the writing of JH (Who incidentally, I rate above Stephen King and even Clive Barker as the best horror writer of all time). What can I say? I have read all the books and never been disappointed with any from the Rats to the final Ash novel, he will be sadly missed.

As for the movie, who does not like Jeffrey Dean Morgan? From TWD and his masterful performance as Neegan to his role in this, he never disappoints and to be fair, although the movie really does not do the book any justice, how can it? It would take a series to convert any James Herbert Novel to the silver screen but the problem with this is that it is not really very scary and the horror is somewhat tame with a really poor ending that feels so rushed, it really leaves the viewer feeling rather cheated!

It is unfair to compare any movie to the book it was taken from, so I am merely reviewing this impartially as an honest review of a new horror film without pointing out where the book differs or criticising it based on that and so I am giving it a fair 6 hatchets out of 10 on the horror scale - JDM elevates it above the base average 5 stars it would have been without him!