La secte sans nom

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.

Claudia Gifford receives a call from the police to tell her they found the body of her six-year-old daughter Angela. Her body was brutalized and she seems to have been chosen for sacrifice by a cult they call "The Nameless". But five years later Claudia receives a telephone call from supposedly her dead daughter and that she needs her mum's help. So with the help of an ex-cop, she investigates more into this mystery and because of it, dire and disturbing consequences occur.

Effectively tense, alienating and involving is what comes to my mind when I describe the Spanish film "The Nameless". The film's stark lighting, slick detail and gloomy awe just had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. It does have a little amount of ghastly violence and some explicit visuals and material that aren't for the faint hearted. Though, that's not what got on my nerves but more the use of dull and lifeless colour tones that pull you into cold-hearted paradise, tension builds subtly with eerie quietness, the chilling sound effects just put you on the edge with also a beautifully faint score that drowns you with emotion and that definitely puts you into a false state of mind. Mostly it was piano backing, which sorrow and pain develops from the notes potently. The depressing state of it sucks the life right out of you!

For me the plot is one of its few weaknesses, as at times situations that occurred just didn't add up and it does get a bit schematic. The first half builds on the story and suspense, but in my eyes the second half is where the plot (not suspense) became patchy and kind of faulted by the way side. The theories (about the cult) that are thrown up are indeed absorbing and the whole set-up kept me glued to proceedings as the plot is basically just glazed over without any real substance to back it, but at least it moves in a fairly snappy pace. This was due to tight editing that's swiftly unnerving and also fluid camera shots. The performances are reasonably bland, but hey this is such sombre film so you kind of accept it. Anyhow, these cardboard characters are haunted and scarred by ghosts of loved ones that fill their memories. The stylish film-making for me really added to the moody atmosphere. Evoking a sense of doom and coldness with its brood shadows filling every corner of the set and they seem to have something evil lurking within them that just eats away at you. Some scenes I was just waiting for something bad to happen, as you can just tell, but even so it still kind of gets to you. Even a humming sound would nag away at me, though I don't know if I was hearing things or that it was from the film? Towards the end you get a usual twist that didn't surprise me much, but the second one to end it was something that left me rather blank, just like the plot pretty much did. You can also see plenty of influences from other films with its story, visuals and atmosphere.

Overall, a neatly made psychological thriller that builds tremendously on atmosphere, thrills and mystery.

Rented this film with no expectations at all. For the largest part of the film I did not regret one second to have rented it. Well, perhaps because it was too scary... The way it is filmed and the music along with it makes it a very good thriller. This is a perfect example I believe of the difference between an American film and a European film. And in this case I definitely prefer the latter. The grim atmosphere and the constant pressure keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole movie. But unfortunately, all good things come to an end and in Los sin nombre, this is before the end of the film. I can't spoil anything of course, but I personally was very disappointed with the end of this film. It left me with an unsatisfied feeling.

Good and unsettling Catalan terror/thriller by expert filmmaker Jaume Balaguero and based on the British novel "The Nameless" by Ramsey Campbell . More spine-tingling from the director of ¨Darkness¨ , a convincing sense of impeding dread and essential to any effective Horror-Thriller . Some years after a little girl was killed when her mummy named Claudia (Emma Villarasau) , addicted to tranquilizers , seemed to have started to recover , but a phone call once again shatters her existence : "Mummy, it's me... come and get me". Helped by an ex-cop named Massera(Karra Elejalde) and a parapsychology journalist named Quiroga (Tristan Ulloa) who is expert in the supernatural, she sets out on a desperate search for encounter her daughter . Other mysterious clues appear , indicating that the daughter is indeed still alive , and very much in risk . Later on , they discover incredible deeds : a sect of the occult with conceal things and dark secrets which rejects its own name , called ¨Nameless¨ and wishes the essence of pure evil.

The official English title is The Nameless -but the correct translation is "Los Sin Nombre", which to me is far more creepy- lives up to Jaume Balaguero's reputation . This suspenseful and frightening movie was produced by the successful Catalan producers Julio and Carlos Fernandez from Fantastic factory ; it displays relentless horror , thrills , intrigue , shocks , hard-edged drama , plot twists , creepy images and some gore when crime takes place . Director Jaume Balagueró (Rec, Rec 2, Fragiles , Darkness and the recent "while you sleep" or Mientras Duermes) uses that uneasy non-knowledge for both horror and occultism , introducing brief psychological observations . Interesting writing credits by the same director/writer Balaguero based on a story by Ramsey Campbell . ¨Nameless¨ is a motion picture that balances precariously over the terror and occultism . The overall result is chilling proof that Balagueró can take a little budget while delivering a completely different scare . Extraordinary performance by Emma Villarasau , she plays a real tour-de-force in one of his best acting of his career as a solitary and unhappy mother , unsettling for past records and disturbing future . Furthermore , excellent Karra Elejalde as a run-down ex-'policeman . The picture packs a thrilling and intriguing musical score by Carles Cases . Furthermore , a cold and appropriate cinematography by Xavi Gimenez , Balaguero's usual .

'The Nameless' demonstrates director Balagueró's versatility , resulting to be a sublime thriller that every genre buff should be excited for . Rating : Good , better than average . The movie will appeal to thriller and terror fans . Worthwhile watching .

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.