G-Lange

I saw this movie on a whim, knowing nothing more than the title. Well it is truly a masterpiece! Rarely was I so thrilled, so refreshed at each new scene, so thoroughly puzzled.

Now why on earth did they market it as some generic sci-fi flic?? This has absolutely nothing to do with it, it is deliberately an arthouse or new Wave movie. It reminded me of a Lynch movie, or of Last Year in Marienbad.

Oh and the acting and cinematography are top notch.

So I loved it to bits!!!

And I'm sad it gets panned everywhere, and angry against that vile dishonest marketing.

Some movies progress from a cartoonish style into realism – think of the animated flashbacks of Krampus or Harry Potter. This movies does the opposite. In particular, the fiend looks like a fuzzy version of Snow White's evil queen, and we see more and more of her as the movie progresses. It is no surprise that Del Toro produced this movie and was set to direct it. The last scene, with its heavy CGI and exclusively blue color palette seems to have been lifted from Pan's Labyrinth. In other movies, stylization shows how the memory transforms the past into legend. Or how one mind disconnects from reality, like in Pan's Labyrinth. Here there is not much reason for it. It works to the movie's advantage however, as it elevates what threatened to sag into a classic scary girl story into a more memorable fantasy show.

As it is the case with Insidious or the Conjuring, it is all very clean. Literally: the sets all look like brand new, and in spite of all the horror around them, both generations maintain impeccable interiors. And figuratively: the plot is nice and without loose ends. You may guess the ending, but for my part I didn't. Like the rest of the film, it is not haunting, but it ties the story nicely and gives a sense of satisfaction.

It bodes well for Ouija: the origin of evil, created by the same pair (Mike Flanagan as director, Jeff Howard as screenwriter).