La secte sans nom

And it did not disappoint. Nice, creepy movie that doesn't rely on much violence, only the mentioning of it. Just listening to the characters speak of the nameless' penchant for torture was enough to force me to see this with the lights on. This movie and "Thesis" whet my appetite for more Spanish horror films.

All in all, a pretty creepy film. The grim, dark texture of the movie adds to its disquieting storyline. I was surprised that other comments here found this film a disappointment, or worse. As some have noted its a far bit better than a lot of the Hollywood horror that's been churned out recently. It is certainly worth a look if you enjoy a movie that seeks to build a psychological tension as opposed to constantly trying to shock the viewer with either non-stop mayhem or half witted gross-outs.

One who did not see the movie may be surprise by all the contrasting comments ranging from "LAME" to "EXCELLENT". But there is a simple answer to this: There are 2 types o movie-goers: those who let themselves go and get involved in the story, and those who stay in a safe shell of rationality and judge from the outside. So, this movie lives on atmosphere and the mood it is able to arouse, and in this it works greatly, it really scares. But to a cold-minded analisys, it reveals flaws in the plot. Anyway, I think that RATIONAL-AT-ALL-COSTS people should simply give up with horror movies: their inner cords just can't be reached... For all the other ones, you should watch this movie, becasue it is a scary movie that really scares, and features excellent acting and direction. The only right criticism regards the ending. I suppose that they could have done better, not necessarily changing WHAT happens, but possibly HOW it is described. But it is still a decent final, and the movie is a well worth experience.

Well, after reading all the good reviews; some of which coming from reviewers that I often agree with, I was really looking forward to seeing The Nameless. After having sat down and watched it, however, I'm really disappointed. The film is not really 'bad', but it's not very good either and that's a shame considering that the film clearly so much wanted to be a great thriller. The plot is not very original, though that isn't the film's main problem. Many recycled plots have sprung great movies; the main problem here is that the plot moves too slowly and it's never interesting enough to remain thrilling for the duration. The film does have a few nice ideas, though. The Nameless starts with an editor named Claudia, who goes to identify the mutilated body of her dead daughter. The body has had every trace of its identity removed and can only be identified by a bracelet and the fact that one leg was slightly shorter than the other. Five years later, however, Claudia receives a call...from her daughter, who is begging her mother to save her.

Director Jaume Balagueró, who later went on to make the even more disappointing horror thriller 'Darkness' does manage to create a nice atmosphere for the film. Everything looks slightly grey, which makes it depressing and in turn serves the film well. I would guess that the film's main influence was David Fincher's hit 'Seven' as the two are very similar in tone. The film was made in Spain, and that is also disappointing. Spain, along with Italy, made some of the very best thrillers in the seventies, but the recent output of this genre from both countries has been disappointing - the Italian 'Occhi Di Cristallo' is another example of this. The recent films have lost what made them great previously, presumably because they're attempting to copy recent American films. The plot sort of drones on for the first eighty minutes as the dull characters uncover various facts and clues, and finally the film becomes interesting in the last ten minutes - though by this time, of course, it's already too late. The film was based on a good idea and it does have a few nice moments; but overall I would have to rate this as not much more than an interesting failure.

I had heard nothing but good things about Jaume Balaguero's The Nameless. Unfortunately I had watched The Darkness, Balaguero's second feature, prior to The Nameless so I just couldn't get excited about watching it. I had the disc sitting on my table for about two weeks before finally breaking down and watching it. It is leaps and bounds ahead of The Darkness (which I'm now sure Dimension messed up). The Nameless is based upon Ramsey Campbell's novel and, to my knowledge, is Campbell's first work to be filmed. It's about a cult called The Nameless who thinks they can achieve a level of purity by torturing the innocent. I don't want to give anything else away because the journey of the movie is very important and leads to one of the best and most fitting endings any movie ever had. If you saw The Darkness and weren't impressed, give Balaguero a second chance and see his superior thriller.