Sator

Part 'Blair Witch', part Lynch and a little bit of last years 'The Dark And The Wicked'. This one will be a divider among fans of horror but i for one loved it. An incredible technical feat (the worst shot in this movie which was made by literally one person looks better than anything my mortal enemies the Russo brothers have ever filmed), as well as a solid piece of perverse and haunting minimalist horror. My main reservation about it is that as much as I like this kind of oblique storytelling I do wish this screenplay had just the tiniest bit more meat on its bones. Not narratively, but thematically.

Well if you're a "horror fan" but you tend to only watch the Freddy/Jason/Michael Myers movies over and over, this movie is not for you...

However, if you like movies like "The Witch", "Blair Witch Project" and can get into existential dread and supernatural horror, this creepy and cohesive movie will cast a spell on you and pull you in. Quite a bit is left unknown, and quite a bit is a puzzle so there is some work on behalf of the viewer. You can't merely just watch with your loud bros and throw your popcorn up in the air and scream and giggle when the next jump scare happens.

The acting is minimal and emotive. Most of the dialogue comes from Nani/Grandma who doesn't merely act, she IS the character. You'll see what I mean. To me, this is the creepy heart of the movie.

Visually it's dark, dreary, atmospheric and full of doom with Pagan references and a dash of what I would call a rustic, Cascadian Black Metal aesthetic. I loved the raw, minimal grit of the cinematography which is really well done. Also, I suggest watching with headphones in order to get the whole quiet is loud vibe of the film. The sound design is spot on as well.

For me, a longtime and avid horror fan, very rarely do I find the kind of movie that I wished I had made. It goes up there with my classics. Sator is one that I would recommend to fans of existential dread, atmospheric horror, and people that love to be creeped out. Not "boo!" jump cut scared, but genuinely creeped out when you go to bed and then the movie lingers in your thoughts the next day. I loved Sator. I watched it last night and I think I want to watch it again today.

Here's a film about men with beards and an old lady that hears voices. And some spooky stuff in the woods too. It's a good eerie setting and the silence works for tension building but character motives are never established. A lot of what is happening is implied. Maybe I missed a bit or a lot of the subtext. So while I could dismiss Sator as cryptic nonsense, it's very well made to string you along and is visually pleasing throughout, enough so that's it's an alright film overall.

The film is nearly very good but after a long build up that's too slow, tension has been barely built and the climax is utterly disappointing. It's the 'blockbuster indie' genre-aesthetic of the Witch (and similar films) which I thinks great but again despite promise or direction this is never fulfilled with a set piece or anything.

The film also attempts an abstract storytelling by the end but this is a bit hamfisted and instead feels a bit like poor writing or just plain nonsense.

Nothing new with the story, spirits encroach on the material world, corrupting a family until disturbing violence erupts. The deer skull and gas lantern style is one of my favourites but really could have been amped up, you'll know what I mean by the end when you've barely seen anything terrifying happen at all...

I definitely wanted the film to be much better than it was, but it wasn't! Don't necessarily avoid but I wouldn't seek it out.

The whole "let the audience figure it out" thing is getting played out. Here's a film that's very well shot and features a constant sense of dread, is as spooky as it gets, BUT ... the script is nearly non existent and the pacing will test anyone's patience. Seriously. Enough with the "this will reward patient viewers" nonsense. Hire a script writer FFS.