Sobrenatural: A Porta Vermelha

I couldn't help but believe that the horror component of the film fell short of expectations as it neared its finale. It's impossible to say whether this occurred as a result of my yearlong exposure to a large number of horror films or if there was a problem with the writing. I wished there had been more genuinely horrific and spine-chilling moments because the ending felt a little hurried. The emotional depth between the characters was another component I hoped had been further addressed in the movie.

The movie did, however, have certain advantages. An unsettling mood was created by the cinematography and visual effects, which added to the overall suspense. The tension was effectively heightened by the use of lighting and sound design, increasing the audience's anticipation during crucial scenes.

As a longtime fan or horror and someone who found that interest through the insidious and conjuring universes, I was expecting more out of this film. It felt as though there was a think tank meeting where some important ideas were thought of and they decided to explore those without really fleshing them out. There were hardly any jump scares or truly unique elements of horror, overall just a very predictable plot. Despite the runtime, this movie felt very fast, almost like an episode of a TV show. This in combination with an unbearably cringy script for the best friend/roomate character made this my least favorite movie of the franchise and one that I could've lived without.

First of all, it's definitely not the best horror film I've ever seen. It's not going to win any Oscar's or leave you gasping in awe. However, it's certainly not a terrible as some of the reviews suggest.

It holds your attention and has some great jump scares.

On the negative side, I'm a huge fan of the insidious movies, but this just doesn't feel like it belongs with the others.

The plot isn't terrible, but the college scenes are a bit cheesy, overacted and stereotypical. The whole sorority thing has been overdone.

In short, as a stand-alone movie this is fine. A solid 6/6.5. It just doesn't have the insidious feel for me.

The guy sitting next to me covered his ears for literally the entire movie. I don't blame him, as there were a frustrating amount of obnoxious, tasteless jump scares.

But an equal amount of the scares were EXTREMELY effective, involving clearly thoughtful placement of disturbing imagery and refreshing patience. Patrick Wilson's extensive experience in horror films gave him insight on how to craft atmosphere. I just wish he would have done it more often.

The story does find good reasons to exist-to continue this long-delayed franchise. It explores themes of memory that feel like a natural continuation of the Lambert's story. And it culminates in an emotionally satisfying ending.

It's just that the script too often falls upon stilted, unnatural dialogue and is paced without a sense of progression, and it makes this movie a lot less effective and memorable than it could have been with the many good ideas on display.

This entry and hopefully conclusion to the franchise was not a masterpiece, but also wasn't bad either. It is a typical horror film and one that made me jump a few times which is something movies don't seem to make me do anymore. It is no where near as good in story as the first two films, but is better than 3 and 4 by a long shot. I don't think this movie had the same tone as the first two which was hard to get used to, but wasn't bad either. Unlike other reviews, I enjoyed the first 2/3s of the film more than the ending that seemed sort of rushed and random. It is a must see for fans of the franchise, but for a casual movie goer this might not be your thing.