Não Olhe para Baixo

Like most people who viewed this movie I suspect, I picked up this movie because Wes Craven's name was listed prominently on the cover, in the credits on the back, etc. Lo and behold, this is not directed, written, nor overseen by Mr. Craven, but only produced by him. A sad case of marketing over matter. Well, who cares, right? I do, because what lay inside the DVD case was a fairly mediocre movie that doesn't seem to know if it's a psycho-thriller or a character study or a murder mystery. Kinney's take as the psychologist is the only really good acting here (the heroine is particularly dull in her delivery) and the cinematography, which should make us vertiginous, just feels static. There was a bit here to work with, script and plot wise, but it's been done (Diabolique, Vertigo, Mousetrap) before, and done better. C-.

This wasn't exactly what I had expected from a Wes Craven movie, it wasn't entirely bad, but it certainly won't be a movie I'll remember in a month, possibly not even next week - it has a predictable villain and a paper thin story. The worst aspect of the movie was probably the way the antagonist revealed his 'dastardly' plan at the end, no surprises here. My rating: 2/10

A professional woman (played well by Megan Ward) is haunted by shocking visions when her younger sister is tragically killed by falling from a cliff. For people like me who suffer from acrophobia (a fear of heights) the tense opening scene (and others during the movie) will induce sweaty palms, I found it genuinely scary. Hitchcock's far superior Vertigo sprang to mind a few times. Released as Wes Craven Presents Don't Look Down, this really is NOT a Craven movie. My VHS copy comes with the ridiculous quote "This is the best Wes Craven movie that I have ever seen" on the cover. Sure, there are some Craven touches here and there, but he served as one of several producers. This is a horror/thriller that has some good qualities but has made for TV written all over it. BBFC rated 12 here in the UK, low on adult themes but still manages to pack a scare or two. Worth seeing.

Carla Engel (Megan Ward) is married with the photographer Mark (Billy Burke) and they are in love with each other. One day, while shooting pictures of Carla and her sister Rachel (Tara Spencer-Nairn) in a cliff, the parapet fails and Rachel falls down in the precipice, immediately dying. Carla becomes acrophobiac and tries to get over her trauma joining a group having acrophobia and treated by Dr. Paul Sadowski (Terry Kinney). The members of the group start to get mysteriously killed one by one, apparently by the ghost of Rachel. Carla begins to doubt of her sanity. The killer is revealed only in the last scene. This movie is another bureaucratic, predictable and full of clichés thriller. The name of Wes Craven and beauty of Megan Ward are the greatest attractions of this low budget TV movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): `Não Olhe Para Baixo' (`Don´t Look Down')

It's a low cost production film where a woman sees her beloved sister fall from the top of a hill and die. Since then, she's afraid of the high (she feels like an acrophobic) and starts having "visions" of her sister and starts hearing a ghostly voice whispering her name (Carla).

The plot is a bit straight and unoriginal and the twist near the end is quite predictable, what makes this film completely average; though, as it's a low cost production, made for TV, I won't be very rough and I will score it with a "pushed up" 5/10…

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that Wes Craven's name is, obviously, just to call attention to this low cost movie!