Rum 213

Well, the main reason for why I sat down to watch the 2017 Swedish movie "Rum 213" (aka "Room 213") was because it was a horror movie that I hadn't already seen.

However, calling this a horror movie might be stretching the term horror quite a bit. Sure, if you are 10-12 years old, then perhaps there is something scary about the story told in "Rum 213". But since I am not a child, there was just nothing scary about this movie.

And that was somewhat of a disappointment. But then again, had I known that "Rum 213" was a movie for children, then I wouldn't most likely have opted to sit down and watch it. But I wasn't aware of that prior to sitting down in 2022 to watch it.

In all fairness, then writers Martin Jern and Emil Larsson actually constructed a fair enough storyline, taking into consideration the age of the audience. Granted, I haven't read Ingelin Angerborn's novel, upon which the movie is based, so how true the movie is to the book I have no idea.

The acting performances in "Rum 213" were fairly good. Take into consideration that the cast is mostly youngsters.

I am rating "Rum 213" a five out of ten stars. But I am sure, if watched by someone in the age 10 to 12, then the movie will provide a heap more of entertainment and enjoyment.

No pun intended - the movie plays with a lot of things ... and having girls in the main roles and characters is helping a lot. Because to believe and transport rumors ... to help with the horror ... and the story surrounding it. The adults can not be missing of course, but they are not the central focus point of it all.

The ending is well thought of ... though it does have a slow pace overall. And while I liked it, I don't think it is able to save the movie from the flaws and inconsistencies it had throughout. Don't get me wrong it is a decent movie I reckon and has anxiety and other teenage themes included ... but it is missing something to put this ... head above water as some would say ... again no pun intended.

I am not the target audience for this film, but I can enjoy younger ghost stories, because sometimes the mysteries are more interesting.

I think my main disappointment with it, is that it's very much a slow burn, with the pacing at the start being not great. With very little supernatural elements. I would have loved more creepy moments overall too, but I do like the fact they had a story behind everything.

The acting is pretty good though, and the production value looked great. And I thought the ending was really charming actually. I would have liked some more explanation about Mabel, but it's really not that bad overall.

This is a charming little ghost story for older children and tweens, with a well-dosed amount of horror elements and imagery. For seasoned adults who have seen their share of horror movies, it's all very familiar, but that doesn't mean it's not fresh or effective enough for younger viewers. Emelie Lindbolm directs from an adapted script based on Ingelin Angerborn's first novel in a trilogy, and Lindbolm is good at handling the child performers, getting believable, sympathetic performances from them. The film is incidentally at its best in the coming-of-age scenes, in which lead actress Wilma Lundgren provides Lindbolm with a beautiful, pensive and dependable camera rest. Unfortunately, the ending lets the film down and feels fraudulent, as the final five minutes are obviously used to prepare viewers for the next film in the trilogy.