The Last Thing Mary Saw

COULD have been a great film if they'd used some lighting, but they didn't. COULD have been a great film if they'd thrown in a bit of action instead of plodding along, but they didn't.

COULD have been a great film if they had kept the story clear instead of muddying it up, but they didn't.

What they DID do was manage to toss in the obligatory LGBTQ sub-theme in the hopes that would get them a few pats on the back and some great reviews. It didn't.

The 1800s were dark, dreary, way over-religious and not favorable to any sort of gayness. If you didn't know that, well then this film might have something to offer you. For the rest of us, it's just a slow retread of this time in history.

It's a period piece with minimal sets and lighting that tells the story of illicit love in the 1800s. It's not so much a horror as it is a piece on the crazy ways people dealt with sin and treated the institution of family.

Great film with obvious elements of folk horror. Yes, this sub genre is a slow burning one. That's intentional. I believe we are beginning to see a revival of folk horror with this, Saint Maud, and The Witch being the most significant standouts so far.

A great commentary of how destructive conversation therapy can be to both the "participants" and their families.

If you want jump scares, look elsewhere. If you want thought-provoking, intelligent horror, here it is.

As a final note: not once did I find the film to be too dark. Never did I struggle to see a thing. The reliance on candlelight worked very well here. Maybe other viewers do not have properly calibrated screens or they have too much light in the room?

I don't know where the suspense and intelligent story line are hidden, but what I know is that I was rather bored the whole time. The production is good, the acting okay, but the story itself is a rather boring affair. I guess, someone got the splendid idea to try to ride on the wave of success The VVitch (2015) earned, but The Last Thing Mary Saw never reaches the quality of that one. Only recommended if you can cope with a lot of people looking serious and talking all day - in all seriousness.