The Canal

This is definitely a more familiar sort of slow-paced, atmospheric horror, but like so many of its kind, when done right they really work. This isn't a slam dunk or anything, but it's pretty effective for what it is. If you really don't overthink everything, you sort of know everything that is going on, but it doesn't matter. It has some truly strong performances here, and the atmosphere allows for some really creepy scenes to ensue. The climax could use from even more outlandish material, but as it is it makes its point and is pretty effective. For horror fans this is recommended, and for everyone else, well, look as to what types of films you like.

Without wanting to sound too much like a narcissist, "The Canal" is the type of ambitious, well-intended, and aspiringly convoluted psychological thriller that puts a lot of energy & effort into misleading the viewer... only to end exactly like you presumed since the beginning already. Is the protagonist sane or insane? Is the house haunted or is it historically just a bad neighborhood to live? Do ghosts manifest themselves on video or is David seeing things that aren't there? Is writer/director Ivan Kavanagh stealing ideas from "Sinister"? Well, that's a definite yes.

I want to be gentle on "The Canal", but it just isn't good enough. I appreciate how Kavanagh is obsessed with focusing our attention (or trying to, at least) on the lead character's mental unbalance and heartbroken spirit. I also reckon that Rupert Evans puts down a truly strong performance as David the derailed film-archivist. Well heck, for one of the first times ever, I wasn't even annoyed by the performance of a 5-year-old kid or his mother with an impossible-to-disguise Dutch accent. Let's take it even one step further: the atmosphere is quite often very ominous, the ancient video footage of the 1902 murders is creepy, and the dramatic themes (like marriage failure) feel painfully real. In short, Kavangh and his crew don't do many things wrong. It's just that, when it's finished, the sentiments that prevail are obviousness and "been-there-seen-that".

Despite some of the poor reviews I've read here, I found this to be a completely coherent and excellent psychological Thriller/Horror movie! Yes you will see some themes borrowed from other films, but let's be honest every movie does that. The cinematography was amazing. The score was arranged with a lot of attention to details and made it perfect backdrop to the film. Transitions and shadows were creepy and eerie. About the only thing that annoyed me what's the editing in which the way the editor wood chop out frames causing a time jump effect. This worked okay as a transition but awful during actress dialogue. All in all it was a great movie.

The family man David (Rupert Evans) and his pregnant wife Alice (Hannah Hoekstra) buy an old house nearby a canal to raise a family of their own. Five years later, their son Billy is the pride and joy of the family. David works archiving and editing films for his partner and friend Claire (Antonia Campbell-Hughes). When she gives a reel of a 1902 footage to work, David learns that his house was the place of a violent murder. This discover haunts David that sees a stranger inside his house threatening his son. When he finds that Alice is cheating on him with her client Alex (Carl Shaaban), David sees the stranger killing Alice and becomes obsessed to find who the suspect might be. Meanwhile he becomes the prime suspect of the police with his disturbed attitudes.

"The Canal" is an ambiguous horror movie with the story of a man that has a breakdown after learning that his home was the place of a brutal murder in 1902 and that his beloved wife is cheating on him. The story of haunting, obsession and madness has a confused screenplay and slow pace. But the acting and the dark cinematography make worthwhile watching this movie with low expectation and have a surprise. The creepy conclusion is the ambiguity of the story. Was David really insane? My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Canal" ("The Canal")

But as others have noted rushes towards the finish line (which is a good thing). But there are a few hurdles the movie has to overcome to win over the viewer. And it might not even achieve this. Not everyone has the patience to wait for a movie to pick up. Especially after not only a slow start, but a character that seems to be doing as many wrong things he can do wrong.

But if you overlook that typical horror movie cliché and can wait for the movie to really pick up, you will like where it goes eventually. The direction is decent and the acting is good too. The story is not really inventive, but moves the film along nicely. There are few good scares along the way and the mentioned ending is really good