Amuleto

The movie tries a little too hard to be smart and artsy, and it ends up plodding along at a slow pace at some points. This isn't your standard horror fare, which is a nice change of pace. The cinematography painted the world as a dark, bleak place. But I ended up not caring for any of the characters, and the director somehow made the horrific elements boring as very little happens even after the horror is revealed. The ending, for me, was confusing although a repeat viewing (which is unlikely to happen) may clarify things.

This isn't for your standard moviegoer, but for those who like the more artsy films, this may be for you. Just go in knowing this is quite the slow-burn.

Amulet: The eponymous amulet/figurine is found by Tomaz (Alec Secareanu) in a forest in the Balkans during a war. Tomaz has frequent nightmares regarding those times, he was a soldier and while he avoided most of the ethnic cleansing he carries guilt for some acts he committed. Now in London his work as a day labour only allows him to live in a squat. Losing even these digs he encounters an enigmatic nun (Imelda Staunton) who asks him to stay with a young woman, Magda (Carla Juri) who is looking after her mother in a decrepit house. He reluctantly agrees but starts to develop a relationship with Magda. The "Mother" in the attic is strange, wails, bites Magda.

This is a dark tale of demons, possession, ancient guardians, revenge, with frightening even nauseating scenes of horror. Some of the worst horror though is in the flashbacks to the Balkans war, much of it is between the lines, as the ethnic cleansing is suggested rather than shown. The mundane is sometimes more disturbing than the mondo. The amulet plays a part in this but you'll have to watch the full film to understand it as the narrative unfolds. There are a few plot twists which cannot be revealed but they do allow you to view events in a new light. This film is both perplexing and unsettling, very much for adults who are not faint of heart or squeamish. Written and Directed by Romola Garai 8/10.

This movie had all the elements to hold attention and fulfill its mission. And to some extent it holds, so much that I went to the end. I don't even know why. Perhaps out of curiosity or because I had some hope of improvement. But unfortunately for some reason it never takes off. It's not entirely bad, but it's never good. It's too slow. No scares. Only a few disgusting scenes, some unnecessary. It bets a lot on the cast, but this one is lazy, with the exception of the dedicated Alec Secareanu. So, this way the film doesn't progress. The script itself is unsustainable. Superficially there is an interesting idea, but poorly executed. Watch at your own risk, but only super fans of the genre will give it high rates.

Not quite what you might perceive, as this story doth deceive, not a demon vigilante but a trickster who's men anti.

Crawling along at a snail's pace, voids not even the greatest leaps of faith could overcome, but there is an audience for this kind of batty nonsense I'm sure, though they probably have an axe to grind.

An abstract horror mostly. Little more context relating the two story lines would be good but it's visually stunning and gets more messed up right to the end. Some of the imagery will be stuck in my head for a while and it's been a long time since a film has done that. Disturbing stuff.