Corridors was a very interesting viewing for me. I spent a lot of time thinking about the visual story telling and what the influences might be. I may be overthinking it, Corridors manages to pay loving homage to the classic black and white supernatural films of the past visually while still attempting to tell a modern story. I think there is more than a hint of Jacques Tourneur's DNA in this film. The film's biggest strengths are the cinematography and the mood, which is an area in which Tourneur really stood tall. It is really looks quite good despite its low budget and student origins. The whole thing looks professional and the cast is very good.
Where I feel the film falters a bit is in the pacing, and it is a bit exposition heavy. I see what he is trying to do here. The film is clearly meant to be a slow burn and reminds me of gothic European horror from the 50s and early 60s in the way it tries to unnerve the audience and build a sense of dread. It is nice to see a film lean into that, because modern Hollywood horror seems to be going for jump scares more than mood. Corridors is definitely much more A24 than Blumhouse.
Again, as a debut film, it is very strong. The visuals are quite striking. With a bit more attention to pacing and scripting and sound design, I can easily see Dane jumping to bigger budget films, and bringing a sense of style which is inspired by the past and yet being new. This film may not stand with the giants of horror, but it is a valiant try with far more strengths than weaknesses. It shows a lot of promise and is definitely worth a look for anyone who enjoys atmospheric horror movies. I think when the book is finally written on Dane Peplinski, the film will be studied and remembered as an important formative work that pointed towards even better films to come. This is the kind of film I'd rather endorse and support than 80% of the horror films coming out right now.
