Caveat

First off I relish watching any Irish horror film being from Dublin and a big horror buff I'm always on the look out for a great Irish horror film and there have been at least a couple. I really wanted to love this film after seeing the great trailer and poster. Top marks for the trailer and poster. This film had my full and undivided attention up to the first hour passing and unfortunately it really began to lose me thereafter. I really wondered why that was. I think the story is gaining momentum for the first hour, it's really well shot, it sounds great and the story is original but when it boils down to it the characters in the film were quite difficult to really relate to and emphathize with. I didn't care what happened to the main character in the latter moments of the film and the suspense had vanished. 'Caveat' feels like a great idea for a short film that was then used for a feature film instead. It feels very long and a bit repetitive after a short period of time. I wasn't interested in any of the characters and I think that's the film's downside. There wasn't any bad acting or anything like that I just didn't feel anything for any of those characters. Maybe such a small cast also added to my feelings of disinterest. The ending in particular felt very weak, there was no pay off at the end at all. Great photography, great sound design but uninteresting characters, a muddled narrative, very light on any horror of any kind. I really wanted to love it but the last half an hour lost me completely. There is certainly real talent behind this film in particular behind the lense but it won't be a rewatch for me. 5/10

If you can overlook the implausibility of the premise and don't question the logic of the individual characters, Caveat is a successful chamber drama with a clear focus on atmosphere.

The pacing is a bit bumpy in between and the film's stance on the paranormal is not entirely clear, but I'm happy to overlook that because I found the nightmarish pull of the story very fascinating.

Especially in a scene towards the end I really got goosebumps, which (unfortunately) is really rare for me.

This is the story of Isaac , who is enlisted by a shady stranger Barrett , to look after his psychologically disturbed niece Olga in a decrepit house on a deserted rural island following her father's recent suicide. The question is - has he been there before?

Not being a horror movie fan , I have to give writer and director Damian Mc Carthy credit for what it a entertainingly creepy movie.

The setting is the star of this show . The house on an island with a chain coming from the cellar. The peeling wallpaper and secret passageways. Why anyone would would agree to stay there , especially if they had been there before , Is beyond me but that's horror films for you .

The viewer is left with lots of questions.

What is the rabbit all about ?

What was the accident?

Is Mother dead?

87 minutes is a good running time for a horror film as the cliches don't outstay their welcome.

A decent first time attempt from a debut director.

I saw another review that rated this a 1 with the recommendation to watch the 3rd Conjuring instead because it's a 10. Simply put, if you're the type of person that thinks Conjuring 3 is a 10, you will not like this.

This film is not perfect but any means, my phone held most of my attention the first 30 minutes or so, but it eventually grabbed my full focus and I even went back after it ended and rewatched the beginning just to see what I missed.

You can read other (positive) reviews for more details. I'll just say if you liked The Witch you'll probably like this. If you didn't like it, chances are you won't like this either, but I will say this creeped me out far more than the Witch did, so there's a chance.

Damian Mccarthy will be a name I watch for in the future for sure.

If I would collect movie props that drumming rabbit toy would be the first thing I would buy. I'm not sure, no in fact I'm 100% sure, that thing wouldn't be allowed in the house by my wife. It was creepy and fun to watch. The movie has a good suspense level, and some mystery that keeps you interested. I thought Jonathan French was very convincing in his role, pretty good acting of him. The horror is there but it's mild, it's all more about the suspense and mystery. Overal the story is fine but could have been better. It's good enough for a one time viewing though.