February

February is a flawed film. It is also a fantastic film.

It takes place in the middle of a cold, snowy Canadian winter at an all-girls boarding school. The winter break is approaching and all the girls are picked up by their parents to spend a week at home. The exception is Kat (Kiernan Shipka), a very young girl whose parents don't show up and she begins to fear them dead, and Rose (Lucy Boynton), an older girl who has lied to her parents because she wanted to spend the break alone at the school. As time goes on, Kat gets more and more worried about her parents and acting stranger and stranger. Meanwhile, a couple of towns over, another young lady, Joan (Emma Roberts), escapes from a mental institution. She seems to be on the move toward the boarding school where the other two girls are. I would advise against seeing trailers or looking up anything further about the plot, this movie is best experienced with no preconceptions of the sub-genre or where it is going, because it leaves you most open to what it tries to do.

The magic of this movie is mostly in its extremely distinct mood, an almost undefinable aura or quality to it. All of the aspects of film making mirror the cold, snowy winter - music, the pace, the character interactions. The characters speak lazily, morbidly to each other, everything has a hint of cold tension underneath it. I've never seen a horror movie with this particular type of mood, and I always welcome unique experiences.

The script is also expertly crafted. I like how subtly the mystery is revealed to the viewer - it is not spoon-fed at any point, and it is quite well-concealed for at least the first half of the movie. We only get pieces that almost seem impossible to fit together, yet they come together in a perfectly obvious and coherent conclusion. On top of that, the story radiates an overwhelming sadness which elicited a very strong emotional response from me personally. Mostly due to Shipka's amazing acting, which stole every scene (the other two girls are great too, just overshadowed by the youngest cast member). She really captures the desolate emptiness required of her role.

The flaws are really mostly superficial, and a product of the fact that the movie was made by a relatively young cast. The director clearly has a good eye for morbid beauty, and he has made a movie that is much more artistic than the average horror, but I still found that some of his stylistic choices were cheesier and more generic than he seems to think they were. He's still a very talented guy, he just needs to find a more humble and grounded balance between innovation and reference. Still can't wait until he makes another horror though, I will definitely be following him!

Much appreciated. Sophisticated and subtle. Great job in the sound department.

Those who have not witnessed Kiernan Shipka's talent in "Mad Men" will surely find here some convincing material to make up their minds. The other two main actresses were also remarkable, however for exclusively aesthetic reasons, I must add.

Concerning the plot, I believe it is important to emphasize its non linear nature : a key element to reconstruct the overall "Stimmung".

I must criticize the trailer, despite having been convinced by it to approach the movie in the first place; the allusions to "erotic charge" are deeply misleading and cast a negative influence on the viewers, distracting them from the main, yet hidden, theme of the movie : the Occult. I rarely experienced a more discrete and effectively symbolic handling of such a complicated and debated matter. The way the Occult's first appearance on the scene is connected to the principal plot twist is also deeply satisfying. The final scenes also need to be focused on : they both bring the missing pieces in the plot and offer an open, surprising end.

My only critic would regard the excessive abundance of implicit hermeticism : some traits of the story could and should have been properly expanded (Kat's parents, some more details about Rose, a more complete view of the boarding school, the true origins of Kat's "sickness", just to make a few examples).

The Blackcoat's Daughter, or originally titled February is the first feature film from Oz Perkins, and it's warmly welcomed and loved if you love a slow- build horror in the likes of It Follows, The Babdook, The Tall Man, or recently surprise hit The Witch. This film follows the same beat, while not necessarily executing it in a lively fashion it does deserve to stand on it's own merit.

Winter break is approaching so the students of Bradford Academy are all leaving to rejoin their parents over the two weeks... Expect for the exception of Kat (Kiernan Shipka) truly haunting each time on screen; and Rose (Lucy Boynton) who are forced to await the arrival of their parents who mysteriously fail to retrieve them. With their time spent there, we also meet Joan (Emma Roberts) another kindred soul trudging her way to the unknown. And thus, begins our film... A look at three different woman bound by a constant fear, ever present throughout the film.

For a first time director, Oz gracefully masters the camera as he glides slowly across the scenery meticulously acknowledging every shot... From a long tracking shot down a dark hallway to the swinging of a door in the wind. Every detail cleverly puts you on ease as you await the next scene. Kiernan Shipka controls the screen as she chillingly embodies the physical turmoil of an adolescent girl confused and unsure of herself... The rest of this little cast are also good... with the exception of Emma Roberts showing us that she can also do more than American Horror Story or Scream Queens. While good, the film does fall in structure during it's second act and end as we never truly understand the intentions of our characters or simply where the movie is headed... while the tone stays the same... haunting and melancholy. The film can loose you if you are not truly invested during it's final two acts.

Overall, The Blackcoat's Daughter is a well crafted horror that cleverly cuts between three characters while still juggling the fact that it is indeed a slow-burn horror well worth your time and money.

Im glad I found this movie; unfortunately it had a limited release and there was not much buzz about it. So when I found it, I did not expect much. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Although there is not much originality, it was well done and made me uncomfortable!

The tone of the movie was dreadful and was beautifully supported by the score, the cinematography, and the acting. The pace of the movie was slow, but the payoff was excellent. No cheap jump scares, the right amount of gore, and a clever plot.

Horror fans should definitely give this movie a watch!

Blackcoat's daughter has been sitting on my watchlist for a little while now. I was intrigued by it's mystery and eeriness, but something told me this won't be as great as I think it will.

And that little voice was right. Blackcoat's daughter had a massive potential. Not just that, it was very close to reaching that potential by having all the right details and twists in the plot. I think it was the execution that made the whole thing flop.

When you're watching it and assuming you're a fan of horror, you know there's something good there, but there's also a lot of that "wait what?" filter over it.

It's like listening to an almost good joke at a family gathering from your cousin. You know there's something hilarious about it, but your cousin is probably telling the joke the wrong way. So everyone is kinda lost, smiling awkwardly, and not sure about what they just heard when the joke's over. Then someone googles the joke and everyone gets that "ooooooh, right, that's actually pretty funny' moment.

Same thing with this movie - it took me a Youtube explanation video to understand that the idea behind the movie was actually genious.

I love it when the viewer has to use their brain and untangle a plot. But there's a line, where if you make it too mysterious, the audience just loses the thread completely.