The Painted

I appreciate the challenges that come with a low-budget production, and I made an effort to manage my expectations while watching. The horror concept is fresh and intriguing but lacks support from the cast's performances and script. The lead actress's expressions could have been more nuanced, though the older daughter demonstrated stronger acting skills.

I appreciate the seamless movement of the paintings, particularly when one is reflected in the mirror. This aspect of the movie truly stands out to me and enhances my overall enjoyment. If a more talented cast were assembled or if this concept were integrated into the Conjuring franchise, it could enhance the film's overall potential.

The introduction of the film was well done,I was fooled into thinking it'd be the early couple at the start of the movie. The core of the story is a nice break from jump scares,CGI shortcuts,and actual lighting effects to establish a spooky atmosphere. The acting was fine,I'd say it was "TV movie" accurate. But they all delivered,even with the briefest of screentime. While there is nudity,it's tastefully done,not a distraction at all from the scenes. This could develop into a series,even if it's pushed to streaming. Im hoping for an eventual sequel set in present day,I think with maybe a graffiti twist to the story lore. I'd gladly rewatch this movie and recommend it to friends!

Basically that...

What I did like about it was it's very old fashioned style. None of the OTT flourishes that permeate Horror films these days. No extreme sadism or violence. No annoying overacting.

And, like others here have said, it is a good concept, rather imaginative, and I thought the visuals were done well, especially in the way they blended the 'Real' with the Unreal (I don't want to give too much away...)

Also, with many films like this where a family is going through this kind of stuff, usually the acting is not so hot with a lot of the Drama overdone, etc. In this case, I really did like the way the characters were developed (primarily the parents, the children really didn't have much to do) and their reactions and the way they dealt with each other, particularly in dramatic or uncomfortable scenes, were very well done, realistic, and believable.

Also, like some others have said here too, the ending is probably not as effective as it could be, finishing with a bit of a whimper...

But, if you are not expecting a super modern Horror movie with all kinds of extreme violence and effects and such and can appreciate an older fashioned yet imaginative style, then you might find this one fairly entertaining. I gave it a decent '6'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MY PARTICULAR WAY OF RATING:

5 - Flawed enough probably to give it a pass.

6. A decently passable story maybe worth a watch.

7. A solid film, well made, effective, and entertaining.

And, obviously, you can probably figure out what above and below these would mean... : )

I wasn't expecting much from The Painted and was surprised at how many points it got right. Well shot, with some excellent special effects, some good suspense and genuinely creepy at times, it showed real effort if at times not exactly succeeding. The acting was kind of all over the place, but it was the casting that really failed. It seems the 5 leads, all playing a family, did not seem related in any way at all. The actor playing the son looked way too old and the actress playing his teenage sister was excellent but neither she or the young girl seemed related to him at all. It was almost as if they chose 5 random actors with no thought that this was suppose to be a believable family. The effort to recreate the 1960s also was a big fail. Still I enjoyed this and it even had one scene, bordering on funny but extremely realistic that I loved. Worth a one time watch.

This movie is best described as just another generic horror film. The concept is not very original, although the idea involving the paintings was somewhat intriguing at first. Unfortunately, the film fails to build any real tension or establish an atmosphere strong enough for the scares to be effective. The visual effects were also underwhelming and turned what should have been frightening moments into unintentionally laughable attempts to scare the audience.

With a major studio like Blumhouse attached, this could have been more enjoyable and better in quality, even though many of their recent releases have also become quite formulaic. Just imagine if Mike Flanagan had directed it. He could have turned the story into a powerful supernatural horror film. As it stands, the movie is forgettable and lacks anything that sets it apart from the flood of horror content released these days.

The acting is decent, and the overall production quality is fine aside from the effects. However, that alone is not enough to make the movie entertaining. It is certainly not a terrible watch, but it does not offer much to look forward to. Sadly, that makes it pretty forgettable overall, which is one of the worst things a movie can be. [4.9/10]