User reviews

I wasn't sure what I was in for here, as I sat down to watch the 2021 Amazon Original horror movie "The Manor", but it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen was actually sufficient enough to make me sit down and watch it. And I have to admit that the movie's cover/poster was definitely helping to convince me to watch it as well.

And as it turned out then writer and director Axelle Carolyn actually managed to churn out a pretty wholesome story here with "The Manor". The writing is pretty good and the pacing of the movie was equally good. I enjoyed the slow build-up of suspense and not really knowing what was going on until well into the movie. So thumbs up to Axelle Carolyn for that.

Visually then "The Manor" is pretty good. This is not a horror movie that relies heavily on special effects or ghoulish creatures, but there is a great atmosphere permeating the movie. And the environment of the house is really spot on, which adds a level of believability to the movie.

Aside from an interesting storyline, then "The Manor" does have some great acting performances, and especially Barbara Hershey (playing Judith) carried the movie phenomenally well with her performance. And the movie also have the likes of Bruce Davidson on the cast list.

If you enjoy a good old fashioned horror movie, then give "The Manor" a chance. I did, and I was genuinely entertained by what the movie delivered.

My rating of "The Manor" lands on a six out of ten stars.

The nursing home horror approach seemed interesting enough and they get to it quickly, but given the 80min runtime that's not too shocking. Despite this, there was very little a tual horror to the movie, except for a few creepy moments and the revelation of the creature at the end. Props to the cosmetic effects and overall design for it, although far from scary. There was a surprise here and there story-wise, but nothing to blow you out of the water. And unfortunately the climax was anticlimactic, ruined by an overlong spile of dialogue and an unexpected ending that felt like a bad joke. Seemingly rushed, too, which made it worse. Acting all around was passable to good, but my main praise goes to Barbara Hershey and her many blatant lines devoid of sugarcoating, which gave her character some personality opposed to most female protagonists in horror movies. I honestly enjoyed the buildup and characters of the first half more than the culmination of the second. A lot of wasted potential.

... Feeble, Unoriginal, Night-scares! An ageing dancer unintentionally entombs herself in a home for the elderly only to discover some residents are not what they present. Everything you've seen before although the performances are notable and the special effects far from wooden.

This is a very good horror film. It's not that scary but it has a beautiful gothic atmosphere with a few scare jumps. The story is a bit stupid but it's also interesting and beautiful. Lead performance is superb. All in all, it's a decent well made horror.

If they would put just slightly less effort into it the film would've just been 80 minutes of black screen.

Sorry for being negative. The film consists solely of cliches and themes used a thousand times by now in horror cinema. If you have seen any other horror film besides this one, you can predict not only the ending but almost every scene and every line of dialogue. Every hint, every supposed twist we have already seen before.

The story is just slapped together and the film expects you to buy a lot of things. Nobody really bothered with acting either. The composite shot of an elderly man scaling the wall upside down was hilariously cheesy.

The ending was ok, but since 90% of the film felt like waiting in an elevator, it doesn't matter much. The creature make-up was surprisingly good, so I don't think it was made specifically for this film, seems too costly to such a minimal budget whatever-type of film.

This feels like it was made by someone who has never seen a horror film, but checking the director's bio proved me wrong. So, I guess there were other reasons. Maybe Jason Blum just said, "Come on, I got this script I found in the attic from 1995, let's slap something together in a week and make some easy cash".

If you're planning to see this one, and you have seen horror films before, watch the first 10 minutes and you will build every other scene and the ending in your head.

Blumhouse presents a TV movie that is better than most. There were even a deft scare or two. A 70 year-old dementia patient doesn't like her new digs at the nursing home. There's something bumping in the night and the cat knows who's next to die. The whole place is appropriately gloomy and the story is delightfully doomy.

It's a flawed premise from the get-go. Barbara Hershey as a 70 year old willingly moving into this nursing home with a roommate who can't really even converse with her because she is much more elderly/disabled doesn't make any sense. The main character moves with ease and is sharp intellectually and cracks jokes, and sorry, there's just no way she'd move into this nursing home. I mean, perhaps the nursing home could HIRE her to work for them?

If you get past the silly premise and just go with it, it's a decent horror film. Standard locked-in style story with a supernatural twist. Cool setting of the manor (even though all those stairs would be unrealistic for elderly people).

We really enjoyed this movie right up until the twist. I found it very disappointing.

I thought it would be at least a 5.

If not for Barbara Hershey I would have rated it 2 or 3.

The first 3 minutes were fine.

Soon on I was annoyed and losing interest. A bit more time I had the thought that I was inflicting punishment on myself by continuing.

Watched till the end.

Either Barbara Hershey is out of money or a Producer or a director is a very close relative or someone called in a favor.

Acting was mediocre. The screenplay, directorial influence, cinematography, CGI, and editing destroyed any possibility of the film from getting any good ratings or reviews.

Well acted and depicting the true horror of the loss of freedom from aging. This is depicted excellently by Barbara Hershey. The film explores the fears of aging and becoming an invisible class of people. The fun element is questioning if there is a supernatural aspect at play. Excellent classic style of a thriller well shaped by all involved.

Nothing exciting to see here folks! So if your looking for scary, or good then pass on this.

It may be worth a watch to people who don't like scary horror movies and prefer more of a mystery that's on the bland side of the street.

Mystery / metaphysical horror movie. A fairly modern but aged woman, due to some health issues decides to separate from her daughter and grandson and stay in a nursing home. Still, strange things happen there, and among other things she loses all the freedom of her life, and while she still seems to have a clear mind, they try to convince her that she is crazy, that she has dementia, like the other ones. On the one hand she sees strange shadows at night, on the other hand she sees that gradually people in there to be dying one after another. As much as she wants to return home, her family is convinced that she is really suffering from hallucinations and she has dementia and that it is better to stay there. But what is really happening? Has she really started to lose her mind or is there something really dark in the nursing home? A question that she must answer trying to find evidence against time since soon it will be her turn too. Influenced by other films, but interesting and well-rounded, with experienced actors and very good direction, with suspense and mystery throughout and with a dark element in various timepoints. Also, its short duration does not leave room for boredom, while the ending will surprise many people. On the downside, despite the ongoing mystery, it could have been much more intense and may have been extended to have a little more action in the end. It is still worth a watch for fans of the genre.

I cannot get over the ridiculous fact that a perfectly healthy, vibrant woman, only 70 years old, WANTS to go into a nursing home. That is absurd. Those are horrible places where people go to lose their freedom and die. Who would WANT to do that? It does not fit her character. That alone pissed me off enough to lower my rating.

Neat little horror film with an ending decision i didn't see coming. A stellar performance from Barbara Hershey (looking great for her age), this is the best of the Blumhouse series of 2021 so far.

The concept of the movie is not bad, but the dialogue is cringe from start to finish. The jump scares have no impact. I used fast foward a lot because it was a boring movie.

A spooky look at life in a senior care facility! The "cat scenario" was especially eerie because it's been documented several times based on actual events at nursing homes. At times the darkness made viewing difficult, despite adjusting lighting on my screen. Wait for the surprise conclusion! Barbara Hershey hasn't lost her luster after all this time. Great entertainment for me,despite being a senior!

Following her work as author of a horror movie book and a brief stint acting in a handful of forgettable flicks including then husband Neil Marshall's disappointing Doomsday and Centurion, Axelle Carolyne made the move to writing and directing her own films. The Manor is a made-for-TV supernatural thriller that shows that Carolyne has considerable potential as a film-maker: the budget mightn't be huge, but this well-crafted mystery possesses a suitably creepy atmosphere and effective visuals that make for a solid little fright feature, while the strong central performance from Barbara Hershey helps to paper over any cracks in the script.

The intriguing set-up sees OAP Judith (Hershey) move into a nursing home (the Manor of the title) following a stroke. Soon after, she begins to witness strange events, including a scary shadowy figure in her room at night. The doctor informs her family that these strange occurrences are all in Judith's mind, the result of the onset of dementia, but Judith is resolute, insisting that she still has all of her faculties; with help from her grandson Josh (Nicholas Alexander), the old woman investigates and uncovers the secret of The Manor.

A traditional spooky horror, the film doesn't rely on fancy special effects or lashings of gore, instead using the gloomy locale and well-drawn characters to conjure up the chills. That said, there is one supernatural character in the film, brilliantly designed but sparingly used, that should keep special effects fans happy (and it doesn't rely on CGI, for a change!). After plenty of sleuthing and mild peril, the mystery is wrapped up with a neat twist and a clever denouement that ensures that Judith need not worry about losing her marbles in the future.

Barbara Hershey is great but that's about it. The whole film feels like it is just about to go somewhere but never actually does.