No Coração da Noite

From the opening scene of Matthew Chapman's Heart of Midnight, we know we are in for a visual tour-de-force. Jennifer Jason Leigh begins a new life in a bizarre, sinister, Lynchesque apartment complex, formerly occupied by her weird uncle, a pervert of sorts, whom Leigh slowly begins to remember.

Writer/director Chapman breathes sinister life into this creepy abode of a building. It seems to take on a life of its own in between the shadows, macabre lighting and ethereal noises that emanate from nowhere.

The film instantly draws us into a dark world where we are never sure what is exactly real and what is a figment of Leigh's imagination. Like any good psychological thriller, circumstances and events are revealed to us slowly, as we need to know them, and always advancing the plot.

More than anything else, the film sustains a brooding, macabre feel that always keeps us feeling uneasy, which seems to mirror Leigh's character. She is excellent here as a woman trying to comes to grips with both her mental illness and a sordid past. The musical score is both eerie, yet powerful, further drawing us into the film's creepiness.

Those who are fans of David Lynch and of movies that create a convincing, yet creepy world of their own, should enjoy Heart of Midnight.

Can't see why this movie has gotten such low ratings. For a thriller movie, not my favorite genre, it was really good. Maybe watching it at 3 AM muddled my critical sensibilities, but from where I was sitting, Leigh nailed every line in the film, and she was totally convincing and sympathetic. Did anyone else out there appreciate the classic slight-of-hand approach to the "paranormal" the film took, as well as the serious issues it raised? In my opinion, a scary movie has to include something real to be scared about. Monsters and boogymen just don't do it for me. Not that that there weren't a few "aaaaaghh!" scares in this film, there were [the medicine cabinet scene scared the hell out of me!], but it was the movie itself, not any specific spooky part, that gave me the heebie-jeebies.

I don't know. Maybe my tastes aren't as exacting as they used to be, but I'm not afraid to say I think this was a damn good film. So there!

From the opening scene of Matthew Chapman's Heart of Midnight, we know we are in for a visual tour-de-force. Jennifer Jason Leigh begins a new life in a bizarre, sinister, Lynchesque apartment complex, formerly occupied by her weird uncle, a pervert of sorts, whom Leigh slowly begins to remember.

Writer/director Chapman breathes sinister life into this creepy abode of a building. It seems to take on a life of its own in between the shadows, macabre lighting and ethereal noises that emanate from nowhere.

The film instantly draws us into a dark world where we are never sure what is exactly real and what is a figment of Leigh's imagination. Like any good psychological thriller, circumstances and events are revealed to us slowly, as we need to know them, and always advancing the plot.

More than anything else, the film sustains a brooding, macabre feel that always keeps us feeling uneasy, which seems to mirror Leigh's character. She is excellent here as a woman trying to come to grips with both her mental illness and a sordid past. The musical score is both eerie, yet powerful, further luring us into the film's creepiness.

The only flaw in the film is the villain, a victim of Leigh's Uncle's sexual perversions. Where the character makes sense from a psychological standpoint, the writing here is definitely over the top, a circumstance which takes away some of the film's credibility. Yet, it is a movie not to be taken so seriously so that this character does any major damage. The overall effect is left intact.

Those who are fans of David Lynch and of movies that create a convincing, yet creepy world of their own, should enjoy Heart of Midnight.

I was surprised to discover this was really a horror film. I don't know if it's labeled that, but that's what it should be called. It's spooky and creepy and just plain weird. With Jennifer Jason Leigh in the lead, I'm not surprised. She is pretty good at playing disturbed people as she showed later in "Single White Female."

For me, however, the best part of this film was the color. This film had a color palette that was fascinating at times. and the audio was good, too, with creepy sounds to go with the colorfully-painted nightclub/house interiors.

Some of the story left a bad taste in my mouth, just a bit too sordid in spots. With the exception of the social worker, there are no likable, trusting characters in this film. The one who is hardest to figure out is the one played by Peter Coyote.

Yet, despite this not being a particularly attractive story, the haunting audio and visuals keep sucking me back every 5-8 years into this bizarre tale.

This film has haunted me since I first saw it on cable. The acting is excellent, especially Jennifer Jason Leigh, and the story (from the author of The Color Of Night) is creepy and intriguing. I would give it a 7 1/2