Housewife

I had the opportunity to watch "Housewife" during the 11th Edition of the Lisbon International Horror Movie Festival, Motel X, in September 2017. Having watched Can Evrenol's brilliant and nightmarish "Baskin" last year, I was really excited to watch this movie in the midst of fellow horror movie aficionados. Not only that, but the only preview I could find on YouTube was actually quite compelling, so my expectations were at their peak as I entered the movie theater. Alas, as my initial excitement faded, my expectations would soon be laid to waste. While the movie had a promising start, it quickly went astray. The acting was mediocre, at best, but all I kept wondering was why on earth would any studio hire a non-English speaking cast to speak in English for the majority of the time when these events are not even occurring in an English speaking country? It's distracting, to say the least, and adds absolutely nothing to the story. Furthermore, while most of the dialogue focuses on exposing who these characters are, what they do for a living and how they came to know each other, not much of it is truly dedicated to clarifying some of the most meaningful aspects of the story, such as the identity of the old lady in the painting or the importance of the pendant that she wears around her neck. We can try to guess and speculate, but we never really know for sure. Plus, the nudity, sex, blood and gore also feel gratuitous and bear no significance to the story that we're being told. They're just randomly thrown into the mix. The only hint of purpose is only provided at the very end, where all threads are tied together, but the ending itself failed to have much of an impact as I wasn't invested on these any characters to even care about what happened to them. There was simply not enough meat on these skinny bones. In conclusion, the acting was wooden, as there was very little chemistry between the actors themselves, the characters were underdeveloped, the plot was weak, the story was insubstantial and the on-screen violence, even though it was well executed, served little purpose apart from attempting to shock the audience. If you are a hardcore horror movie fan or if you're into H. P. Lovecraft's body of work, feel free to check this one out. However, I personally think that here are far better movies out there for you to watch, so I suggest that you don't waste your time on this one.

Where to start? Well the acting is a good start - the acing in this film is SO bad its almost unwatchable. It actually became laughable at a point which was the only way I made it to the end. I ended up pretending it was a comedy I was laughing so much. The story is also completely forgettable and the direction portentous. The film has the same problems as the directors previous film, all style and no substance. I wouldn't be surprised if the film didn't have a screenplay its so awful in the the story telling department. The problem for me is the films the director is trying to mimic had style yes, but they also had a heart which is utterly missing from this film. I didn't care about any of the characters, what characters were there to care about? He is obviously a Fulci wannabe but he ends up more like Eli Roth - who no one wants to be. If it was made as a comedy, i would give it 4/5, but in reality its not so it's 1/5. His previous film did show promise but this is a real stinker. Someone get the air freshener.

Can Evrenol had already surprised me with his amazing BASKIN movie on 2016, so I was looking forward to seeing his newest title at the Lisbon International Horror Fest (MOTELX).

Housewife tells the story of a woman who was traumatized as a child after watching her mother kill her father and sister. This trauma obviously takes its toll on the character, growing up to become a disturbed, frail woman who, in spite of having a husband and friends, shows little signs of any true connection with people and lives inside her world, memories and (sick) fantasies.

After getting acquainted with a cult and becoming close to its leader, she has the opportunity to (sort of) go back to the horrific night and finally confront her demons.

Aesthetically I consider the movie a work of art. Its attention to detail, soundtrack and atmosphere build up the tension for an entire hour, certainly too much for some viewers, but I enjoyed it. After BASKIN, I knew what I was in for, so I waited for the shock and gore while appreciating (and trying to understand) the dream-like sequences of the plot.

As expected, it all comes together in the ending... but not quite. The movie leaves much to be figured out, including the presence of some characters (old lady), who I left without a clue of who they were and what exactly they were doing there. This, along with the movie's slow pace, can be frustrating (and certainly was for many viewers) and I'm afraid it's almost as if the director had to set the bar a little lower, if he wishes us mere mortals to get his point on future movies.

One final word about the acting, I considered it fine for the most part, but some complained that the characters showed a lack of connection that was only made worse by their attempt to speak in English. I didn't think this was necessarily bad. The lack of connection was there, but I actually think it contributed to the movie's atmosphere of being "barely awake". Also, the main actress was superb, in my opinion.

As in BASKIN, Housewife leaves us with that "WTF did I just watch" feeling. I heard the people behind me in the theater say that the director "needed to find Jesus", after the final sequence, which is truly disturbing.

If you are a David Lynch fan and enjoy a good, juicy, "tentacly" piece of gore, definitely watch this movie and try to figure it out. If you're not into movies that are "too intellectual" or require a great deal of deciphering, my advise is to stay away from it.

Just awful in so many ways, acting, script, but the directing is just beyond bad. Quit now and never darken the film world again, ALL OF YOU.

After witnessing the horrific murders of her sister and father, by her mother, young Holly (Clementine Piodatz) flees her home. Years later, adult Holly still suffers from the repercussions of that event. Now, married to a famous author, she finds herself drawn into an esoteric cult, when an ex-lover named Valerie reenters her life.

The cult is called ULM (Umbrella of Love and Mind) and is led by the enigmatic Bruce O'Hara (David Sakurai), who is part motivational speaker, part mystic, and part televangelist. O'Hara takes Holly on a "healing journey" that apparently alters her consciousness. It also traps her in a nightmare labyrinth filled with omens, visions, and death.

HOUSEWIFE gets points for being different, though it's not as palpably malevolent as Director Can Evrenol's first film, BASKIN. While the entire movie is bizarre, most of the horror is saved for the impressive, Lovecraftian finale...