Escondidos

I was *very* pleasantly surprised by this film. Is it a "scary" horror? No, not necessarily, although it did have a few moments.

It ended up being a subtle story, brilliantly told for the most part, a great character study and acting. Filmed in a brilliant little set, claustrophobic and moody.

If you're looking for jump scares and special effects, guns and explosions, screaming bimbos and tough-guy saviors, this is not for you.

It was perhaps a little heavy handed in its last 1/4, trying to "explain" things, but we all know that directors often think an average audience can need that. I think a little subtlety would have gone a long way with this, esp in editing.

I highly recommend not researching this film, knowing anything beforehand.

To start off, this movie was very slow and if you have the time and dedication to finish it I would truly recommend it. Some serious twist and surprising plot developments. Alexander Skarsgard was tremendous. If it wasn't for him, this movie would have fell face first. The script was the only thing that I thought could have been better. Poorly written but but again the acting was what it kept the movie together. I'm very tough on my ratings but an 8 of 10 is quite accurate. The final 30 minutes is when the tension builds up and captures the audience and I promise, if you can stay with the first half and not give up you will be very happy you did.

I really enjoyed the concept and the isolating feel of the film. The whole time your trying to figure out who these creatures are and what they want. The pros are almost outweighed by the annoying little girl's character. I thought there girl's acting was great but the character was so obnoxious. She wouldn't shut the heck up for one second. She's taught to keep quiet in order to survive but she was so loud and cried every five minutes. I honestly wanted to shut the film off because of it. Not only that, but her need to interject stupidly all the time felt pointless. Instead of the parents doubling down in ensuring she knows her role for survival, they catered to her every question and babied every sad expression she made. Your sitting there thinking that this is no time for Mickey mouse b.s. this is the time to shut up and stay alive. Honestly, this movie would be great if the kid's character was cut or they made her not the center of the movie.

Five stars because I liked the concept and the overall plot line but hated the kid.

Don't really want to say too much about this since I feel that the best way to enjoy this film is to go in knowing as little as possible. That's what I did and I was thoroughly entertained until the credits rolled.

This isn't an action packed gore fest, instead it is a well crafted thriller that does a good job of getting you attached to the characters. The slow build up helps to make the characters feel real, that and the excellent acting by the small cast.

Some may be deterred by the slow pace but I felt the slow pace just made the finale that more thrilling and emotional. The screenwriters thought outside of the box for this one and it was really refreshing to see something new.

7/10

First of all what defines horror? Jump scares or gore? There is all kinds of types of horror. I'd say the fear of losing your family can be horrifying.

It's all a matter of perspective and maybe empathy at times. I for one really felt the bond between the father and daughter. The father constantly keeps his family's sanity together.

The first half of the movie is all about these aspects and doesn't show anything remotely scary. The only mentioning about the creatures, referred as "The Breathers" comes from the daughter who isn't allowed to talk about them anymore. If you lost interest by now just because you didn't see anything scary then just stop watching.

If you are wondering what they are hiding from stay tuned.

In other words the horror aspect is more so the fact they are hiding from forces that are a threat to them, but you don't actually see them until the second half of the movie.

The acting is well done. Script is well done. Claustrophobic post- apocalyptic environment is well done. Flashbacks are well spread out and not overdone.

I have seen far worse horror movies and this is just different. Even if you strip away all the horror it is supposed to have it's still a great movie IMO. The twists are there as well and in this day and age those are hard to do. Just freaking enjoy the movie and don't be so technical about it. Don't bash it just because it's not your definition of horror.