themissingpatient

The Invitation is a slowly paced, carefully constructed psychological thriller. Will and his girlfriend are attending a dinner party at his old house, hosted by his ex-wife and her new husband. It's an understandably awkward situation for Will, whose eyes we, the audience, are watching the events through. As the film moves forward, the past is revealed and we come to understand why these characters are where they are. As this happens, questions about the present intentions of the characters become more predominant. As Will becomes more suspicious and paranoid, we do too. The subtle way in which this is done is absolutely brilliant.

There comes a point where The Invitation begins to elevate itself into a devastatingly effective and tragic character study. Instead, the filmmakers decided to give the film a more audience-friendly twist, lowering the final act to the level of a cliché horror show. It almost works, as in the moment it is very satisfying. However, what follows is so terribly executed, it undermines what had been such an intelligent, tense, thought-provoking, mysteriously eerie, paranoid-inducing thriller.

As disappointing as the final act is, the majority of The Invitation makes it worth watching. But, with a warning. The Invitation is to psychological thrillers what Danny Boyle's Sunshine is to science-fiction.

The Hallow begins with an all too familiar premise. A couple have moved into an old house in the middle of nowhere and they are receiving threatening warnings from other folks living in the area about dark forces at work in the forest that surrounds them.

Director Corin Hardy boldly takes this clichéd plot into new territory, blurring the lines between fantasy, body horror and a creature feature.

Story aside, there are quite a few moments during the first 45 minutes where the characters make infuriating decisions. This is quite typical of almost all horror films. Horror film writers need to understand that they can find more creative ways to put their characters in danger rather than have them make stupid decisions to try to heighten the tension. In fact, it doesn't heighten the tension at all. It only makes the characters look dumb, therefore, making it harder for us to relate to and to root for. For instance, how people drive in a panic when being chased. Is driving that fast off-road in a family sedan with a baby in the backseat ever a good idea? Probably not.

Despite these issues, The Hallow is actually an effective and scary film. There is a dreadful atmosphere captured right at the beginning. The director takes a big risk in choosing to show us the dark forces at work and they look truly terrifying. The creature designs and make-up effects artists deserve a lot of credit.

The Hallow may not have the most original plot and the characters make some questionable decisions but it goes beyond what most horror films dare to do. It's a dark, morbid fairy tale and it is actually frightening without having to rely on jump scares.

The Witch was the film I was anticipating most out of all the films slated to be released in 2016. I can not think of a word that means beyond disappointed.

There are many possibilities in the first act that tease subjects the film could go on to explore in-depth. Instead they all lead to dead ends. In a way, the entire film is a tease of bigger ideas that are traded in for a cliché horror ending.

A film like The Witch can choose to be ambiguous or it can give the audience a sense of satisfaction. The Witch tries to do both and in doing this, the ending betrays everything that came before it. Casual audiences may be somewhat satisfied as the end credits begin to roll. However, those of us who love films that demand multiple viewings will feel cheated or, even worse, indifferent. The writer/director takes away any sense of lingering mystery, he takes away any want or need we may have had to watch the film again. It's like watching a painter dump a bucket of water all over a painting we just watched them meticulously paint for hours. It all seems like a complete waste. And it is.

The trailers for The Witch are more frightening than the film itself. However, The Witch's biggest sin is how forgettable it all is in the end. And that is unforgivable.