Boarding School

I would not class this as a horror movie. More of a psychological thriller with horror elements. It is a strange little movie, with some good performances, but as with many films these days, doesn't explain itself well. I don't think I'm giving away a spoiler when I say a young boy has a fixation with his grandmother, it's in the promos, But this is not really expanded on enough in the movie to make sense of. He is sent to an exclusive Boarding School and things start being a bit weird. The finale scene I just found puzzling, as there had been very little other reference to it in the movie. The young lead and main character does an excellent job in a difficult role, and helps to carry this to above average.

This film makes the most of a modest budget. I watched it well aware that it had received fairly horrible reviews from most film critics, expecting to turn it off after a few minutes. I was surprised to find a film with such an air of specificity to its details. There are actual layers to what goes on in this film, and actual depth to the character development and performances. Although the plot does indulge in the heightened excesses of its horror genre (at times it seemed to be keyed in at the level of a fairy tale, a point which is nodded to in the screenplay), the majority of this film maintains an admirable level of meaningful, lived-in realism, tackling everything from generational trauma to parental disappointment to bullying to gender identity and more in a nuanced and intriguing way.

I guess what I'm saying is that so many low budget horror movies are full of hackneyed tropes, pitiful jump scares, predictable twists, and dialogue that was clearly typed by a screenwriter onto a page and then read aloud by an actor. This movie, however, is refreshingly vibrant in addition to being highly entertaining. The camerawork is likewise skillful, and although I wouldn't say this movie is actually scary--not by a long shot--it is quite suspenseful.

Plus, I gotta give extra credit to any movie with the audacity to execute its action climax with its boy star wearing the costume that Luke Prael does here.

The boy Jacob Felsen (Luke Prael) lives with his mother and stepfather and has frequent nightmares. He is bullied at school and when his unknown grandmother dies, Jacob attends the funeral and becomes attracted to her, wearing her clothes and listening to her records. When his stepfather sees Jacob wearing his grandmother dress, his wife and him decide to send Jacob to a boarding school for outcasts and misfits in a creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere. Jacob is introduced to the principal and teacher, Dr. Sherman (Will Patton) and his wife Mrs. Sherman (Tammy Blanchard), and soon he meets his six other mates. Along the days, Jacob befriends them and together with the young Christine (Sterling Jerins), they note that something strange is happening in the school. What will they do to survive?

'Boarding School" is a weird but worthwhile watching psychological horror film. The locations are creepy and the young cast has great performance. The pace is slow but builds tension and the last minutes are intense with many plot points. The conclusion is great. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

It has been some time since I have seen a kid with such pur acting chops. I loved Luke Prael as Jacob. He really keeps us wondering what is going on in that expansive imagination/head of his. His performance was near perfect alongside some other amazing young stars; not forgetting to mention a particularly breathtaking performance from the young starlet. This is a must see for indie lovers and lovers of horror outside the box. Just watch this if you appreciate the art of acting. I foresee a long career for Prael...if he keps it up and chooses his scripts wisely he can and will become one of the greats.

This film is a very well done, well acted, and well written. It was great to see Will Patton and Samantha Mathis as the villainous antagonists, but the two huge standout performances to me were the young Luke Prael and Sterling Jerins. I recognized Sterling Jerins from the first two "Conjuring" films, but her role in those was much smaller in comparison to this film. It was nice to see her talents utilized in a bigger, more fleshed out role as the pretty but devious Christine. Luke was a great counterpart for her, even if his character's eccentricities weren't really explained more. I also would've like to see the oddly romantic friendship between the two of them expanded on. Despite these lacking points, "Boarding School" was a good horror/thriller movie and I hope it gets some sort of following in the future.