rfinnct

I went into this knowing the language and the rites presented would be foreign to me. I've seen many horror films from across the globe and, even if I don't understand the nuances of the culture and its superstitions, I can almost always still enjoy the story for what it is. That was not the case here.

First off, the acting is horrendous. Wooden, almost completely emotionless. The writing doesn't help matters. I realize lots can be lost in translation when working with subtitles, but even the lines spoken in English were awkward and unrealistic.

Second, the plot is paper thin. I swear I'm not normally one who says "I knew what was going to happen at the end within the first 5 minutes," but really, that's what happened. I mean, it's telegraphed as clearly as what was going on with the woman going through great lengths to cover half of her face for the first part of the film. Once she finally reveals what's underneath, it's such a non-revelation that I wondered why she bothered in the first place (and inexplicably she starts covering it again... I assume to save time and money on FX makeup). As another reviewer said, there's a bunch of in-fighting within the family that comes and goes randomly and with little relevance to the plot. A lot is spoken about a family curse, but very little is explained. Motivations of characters are muddy and seemed inconsistent; nuggets of exposition seem to add little to the plot and are presented in a clunky, obvious manner (someone reminds a character of something really bad they did in the past and then adds "remember?" As if the person could ever forget such a deed).

I enjoy slow-burn movies, but this seemed so slow it was borderline in reverse. Plus, just the premise of an admittedly beautiful woman picking up a guy at a bar and getting him home with the promise of sex, but suddenly he's at her dad's last rites/funeral and doesn't just say "NNNOPE! Outta here!" is just ridiculous. They didn't even give him any way *not* to leave... he drove there!

I give 2 stars for the look and atmosphere of the movie, but even at a hair over 90 minutes (including end credits and 10 minutes total of flashing lights and club music at the beginning and end), this was a chore to sit through. Save your time & skip it!

I've been watching horror movies for over 40 years (yeah, I'm old). I state this only because in all those years I've seen high-budget flicks that were awful, and low-budget ones that were great (and vice-versa both ways). This is obviously on the lower budget side, but I have to say the overall look and production design make it look far more polished than I expected from a free movie on Tubi that I'd never heard of before. The script and characterizations were also quite a step above what I'd expected as well. Many of the characters had very distinct personalities and traits, which is kinda rare in horror movies where most portray them as just bland, disposable, and usually annoying.

I see a lot of reviews saying it's a "fun" movie, and I have to agree. It's written well with some outright funny/witty lines at times, but to me doesn't completely cross the line into comedy horror. But is it scary? Kinda. It's got some effectively creepy moments, but unless you're a horror lightweight, I don't see it keeping anyone up at night. And to further that thought, the tone of the movie seems a little bipolar; sometimes seemingly aimed at teens (almost with a campy, Goosebumps vibe), but also scattered with some graphic images, f-bombs, and off-color humor that don't seem appropriate for a younger audience. The acting also runs the gamut from surprisingly strong to (hopefully intentionally) campy. I think all of that leads to the "fun" aspect of it, but those looking for straight-up serious horror would be let down.

One more note: the plot is more nuanced and involved than I expected, but it reallllly doesn't stand up to much scrutiny... at least not the whole "meme" aspect of spreading the curse ("meme" not even being the correct term, when it's more like a virus) which seems clunky, illogical in its own rules, and visually juvenile.

If you're looking for horror with a capital H, I'd give this one a pass; but if you're looking for something fun with some creep factor, I think this would fit the bill. Especially around Halloween.