The Hanged Girl

I have to admit that I was initially lured into watching the 2023 horror movie "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" given the somewhat interesting cover/poster that the movie had. Sure, I had never even heard about the movie, prior to sitting down to watch it, so I had no clue as to what I was in for here.

And talk about a swing and a miss of a script and storyline from writer and director Jon Cohen. The storyline and narrative in "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" utterly failed to capture my interest, and the pacing of the narrative was just insanely bland and mundane. And to make matters even worse and all the more unbearable, then there was nothing interesting happening throughout the slow paced narrative.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. And that is usually something I enjoy when I sit down to watch a movie, as I don't accidentally associate the actors and actresses with previously portrayed characters in other movies. But the actors and actresses in "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" never stood a snowball's chance in Hell here, because they virtually were given nothing worthwhile to work with in terms of script, characters or dialogue.

As for "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" being a horror movie, well... That might be stretching it a bit. But then again, what some consider horror, I might just consider thriller. But this 2023 movie from writer and director Jon Cohen certainly was no horror movie to me, but then again I have been watching horror movies ever since I was about 8 years old.

This movie is not really worth the effort, and it is most certainly not a movie that I would recommend you to waste your time, money or effort on. Some of us suffered through this, so you don't have to.

My rating of writer and director Jon Cohen's 2023 movie "The Haunting at Saint Joseph's" lands on a two out of ten stars.

This Aussie flick delivers a gritty, authentic experience on a shoestring budget. Despite limited resources, the film's raw cinematography captures characters emotions. The plot, centered around a group of friends navigating challenges, is engaging. The genuine camaraderie among the cast shines through. The film's charm lies in its simplicity, offering a refreshing departure from high-budget blockbusters. The haunting at Saint Joseph's is a commendable effort, showcasing the resilience of Australian independent cinema. I wasn't really familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, and I enjoyed it.

A film following a Muslim doctor for no reason apart from trying to be diverse? Who goes on a trip with a bunch of friends including her fiancée. They go to a ghost tour for a pre-wedding getaway and pull immature pranks. Nothing really happens, there's no real story, none of the actors can really act especially Tara jay - I'm sorry but it's just overacting and terrible character, obnoxious and irritating. This is Jon's 4th or 5th film and instead of getting better, the films are getting worse. Overall bad cringy dialogue, bad actors, bad story, bad lighting for a horror film is a failure, NOT scary, there's NO HAUNTING despite the title - it's trying to be clever and be a psychological haunting. The best part of the film is the flashback to the hanged girl - right at the start of the film. The second thing is the actress with the curly hair has something unique her name is Elke Hinrichsen something spunky, there's potential there. Sorry for the honest review, there's not much here to enjoy. The Location is spectacular.

Hoping for a low budget wicked Aussie gem here, but this was definitely not it. Unconvincing muddled characters and interactions make this a chore to get through. The dialogue is boring, and completely void of a story or plot. Overly dramatic scores were used to make up tension, when none is present on screen. After 65 minutes of tedious suffering I called it quits. Nothing was offered up to hold interest, scares, or any entertainment value at all, really. Much better offerings out there if you are scraping the low budget or cheap thrills bin. Skip over this one unless you want to use it as a sleep aid.

This is a well made horror movie that was a complete surprise. I found the film on YouTube and was completely blown away. The direction and camera work are excellent, as is the pacing and editing. I was not expecting too much being on YouTube, however, I found this film's premise and plot to be well crafted and cleverly executed. The director has utilised his cast to to his full advantage and they have delivered sound performances. This film is a true example of how the Australian Horror genre has grown in recent years and this filmmaker is someone to watch in the future. A highly enjoyable and thrilling experience. A must see!!!