User reviews

There's a really great core idea here and an overall solid story that with just a few minor tweaks could've made an absolute classic, but there's something hard to define that's not quite worked.

I can't figure out if it's the characters, the acting, the editing, or what, but for some reason I couldn't connect and wasn't absorbed on an emotional level - there was no character I was rooting for, none I was rooting against. Someone died and it was acknowledged, but I didn't care.

And if I'm not feeling something emotionally, it loses a major part of the battle for me. The brain parts of the people behind this got everything just about right, but the heart parts I think got left at home.

To get that out of the way .. i rate this movie to be a bit above average.

If i wanted to describe a feeling in one word .. i would probably go with : uncomfortable

A bit like a Lars von Trier movie, but only half way.

Acting is good - although not very nuanced. Cinematography is sometimes good .. but not stellar - and characters act in a very artificial way .. only to support the plot, not in any way realistic (on the basis of the supernatural that is going on)

The CGI was poor ... i mean, Playstation 2 cutscene poor. It was kind of rare .. and i wonder why the movie did not use practical effects .. those would not have been too hard .. and may not have broken immersion as much as those really terrible CGI scenes.

All in all, it was worth watching - for me. But other than that ... a fairly forgettable movie without much depth or meaning (well, unless you are into rural folklore of that region or so .. maybe than there is more to get from it)

First off, Jemima Rooper is entirely awful to observe throughout the whole film. She's dreadful and not in a good way. She's a miserable, atrocious mess of a disaster from the start. The first third of the movie is all about her and her nasty habits and behavior.

Then she goes home to her mother, played by the always-awesome Kate Dickie. And then you kinda see why the daughter is a loathsome person. But by contrast, Kate Dickie can portray appalling without being unconscionably annoying.

Then it turns into a Village of the Wicker Song kinda thing, I guess. The reveal of what is going with the townspeople is a big "um, okay".

The special effects are cheesy in places.

The fudge looked good. Better than the film which, sadly, Kate Dickie can't save.

Not a movie for everybody or indeed anybody but if you want something different then it is worth a watch.. Like it or not, it's admirable that the movie is totally weird and refuses to follow any formula but it's own. It does not even care about alienating people, it is that daring.

During the short run-time it takes all sorts of twists and turns and you never know what will happen. It might at the end of the day try to much and gets lost in it's own story. But Kate Dickie is as usually great in another eccentric unhinged lady role. Going all in, she knows exactly what kind of movie it is....

Intriguing beginning. Story contains good mix of mystery with supernatural horror for the first 4/5ths, but the end and the story is very unsatisfactory. The draw-in is good but Is almost as if they ran out money and concluded amongst poor lighting and severely curtail final scenes. Another way to put it was that critical scenes near the end are missing. Also, on a fear/suspense scale it's falls flat all throughout. I enjoyed the pace of the mystery and unraveling backstory. The acting is ok to good. The few special effects probably were poor so they resolve it by by under exposing, the problem is that I couldn't tell what happened in the the in the climax and the parts we do see clearly, there's no explanation.

I thought this movie started out decently, but fell apart as things started to unfold, by the end leaving you questioning what you just watched.

It almost felt like the writers/ people Involved/ maybe even the actors were confused on what exactly this plot was. It was very successfully atmospheric and kept you engaged until the third act where things kind of went off the rails. It was all... kind of explained, yet still even after I was left asking why. I think the plot/script needed another couple once overs to really iron it out and make sure it made sense and was cohesive. Regardless, I thought the mother and daughter both did a solid job as far as acting goes with this and there was still some solid creep factor.

I felt this one had a lot more potential that it didn't quite tap into but was not overwhelmingly unsuccessful. Would recommend but not fervently.

So bad I kept forwarding it hoping it would get better lol dear lord it's slow boring dull!!! She's always in good things the main character but this is the worst thing I've seen her in I remember her from the early days in AS IF.. but no sorry as much as I wanted to like this it just didn't happen ,I even stopped it and came back to it the next day hoping I may feel different but unfortunately it wasn't,it was still dreary and dull!!! But some others may enjoy it not everyone likes the same things!! But no I wouldn't recommend this at all skip past it and find something else exciting to watch.

Keeping this short, this movie sucks. It sucks bad. I couldn't even finish it. The acting is awful and all of the characters are weird and so unlikable. From the 45-1 hour I did watch, the mother is a horrible person and it's no wonder the daughter had nothing to do with her for 20 years.

I nearly turned it off after the very brief scene of the 2 old people making out in the back seat of a car. It is so disgusting. I have nothing against old people or old people getting their groove on but IF you watch this movie you'll know what I mean when you see it.

There are better "horror" movies out there. Save your time and watch something else. This move sucks.

Very interesting tale of a binge-drinking, cocaine-snorting city type on the verge of a breakdown, visiting her rural-dwelling mother for a very difficult reunion. There's the spectre of a mysteriously deceased father, mentions of the Olde Ways, and the obligatory not-as-harmless-as-they-seem villagers. The first and third acts could be from completely different films, yet it just about works, as both mother/daughter drama and countryside weirdness are dark and intriguing.

Matriarch also largely avoids sudden shocks for the slowly emerging realisation of terror, whilst mixing in unsettling visuals and details which only become clear later on. The central performances are great; Jemima Rooper bravely makes her character spiteful and unlikeable yet still somehow sympathetic, whilst Kate Dickie as her mum is subtly yet unmistakably wrong from the outset, and it just escalates from there. Wonderfully bleak scenery as well; frosty churchyards and desolate roads that don't seem to lead to anywhere.

I have made this account JUST to combat the incredibly unjust reviews that have been given to this movie. A score of 4.4 with the current abysmal offerings of movies we have today is truly criminal.. In truth, my honest score is probably an 8, but I am giving a ten to offset the incredibly unfair reviews that have been left by people that should never have watched it in the first place. This was a brilliant, eerie, British horror. People who liked the witch, or A24 horror movies will adore this movie.. No, the characters are not 'likeable' and no, you won't find baby Yoda and Chris Pratt holding hands singing along to Ed Sheeran. I'm intentionally not commenting on the plot, for it needs to be seen without seeding thoughts in your brain from these reviews. If I can get one person to reconsider the negative reviews and make their own opinion - I will be very happy. We need more indie movies like this. It genuinely gives me hope for the future of cinema. So I'm not implying you should all think this movie is fantastic because I do, but to PLEASE just give it a go and make your own opinion. This movie, and the crew involved in making it, deserve far more.

It's a different attempt. But a very unpleasant movie to watch. Writing is okish. Not every character is well defined. But this movie isn't about character arc and stuff.

Not exactly sure what is the mental trauma the writer / director went into to make such a movie? I can keep abusing this movie

But funny part is - I kept watching it :D. When a movie keeps you engaged then it is a success.

Ignore the negative reviews. Keep your mind very broad and go into this movie's atmosphere and it will give you some unpleasantness back. I would say that is also a kind of entertainment.

Make sure no kids are there nearby when you watch this movie.

This has to be the worst movie I have ever watched. In fact, I created an account on here specifically for the purpose of revealing the truth and letting you know how bad it is. Throughout the entire movie, it just kept progressively getting weirder and weirder. I was genuinely shocked reading all the good reviews and desperately hoped to find someone that shared the same thoughts as me. The acting is poor, the storyline was confusing, it was the end of the movie and I was still trying to understand what was happening. It didn't even seem like a horror, there were so many disturbing bits and I found myself wondering why I even agreed to watching this. The only good thing about this movie is enjoying lots of laughter with the family at how she PEED DOWN THE STAIRS. If I could turn back time, i would've never even clicked on this movie. I suggest you save your time and watch something else instead.

Wasn't sure what to make of this, and in many ways it's a few different films put together. It's a mother/daughter relationship drama, it's an addiction drama, it's a folk horror and it's a body horror.

The actors are tremendous - Kate Dickie is always good value and is deliciously insincere.

Jemima Rooper manages to make a pretty unsympathetic character somewhat likeable, though that is a bit of a flaw in the film.

The cinematography is lovely - the British countryside has never looked so desolate or haunting.

The music and sound design is incredibly atmospheric, and works in conjunction with the editing to really keep you uneasy throughout.

Perhaps by the end of the film one too many ideas have been thrown into the pot, but I really enjoyed the journey and would happily recommend it.

What? The helm did I just watch? This has got to be the worst movie I've ever seen. I feel I've been played? Is it possible that the movie was made as a joke in us, the viewers?

How? Can anyone appreciate this nonsense? Spoiler alert - She literally took her pants off and peed on the stairs 30 secs before the ending of the movie.

Why? Did I allow myself to lose an hour and a half of my life watching this crap. The main female lead was unlikable, bad acting mostly on her part to be honest, and the story was only 1 minute prior to the end.

If I could give negative stars I would.

The only thing good that came out of watching this was the motivation to start an account here and lots and lots of laughing at the disaster that it was.

A lot is basically in place here. Although we horror fans have seen this many, many times before in other versions. An evil spirit has taken over a person, the main character must uncover, fight to survive, etc. Heard that before? YES!

This falls apart quickly. And that's a shame. The film starts well with an insight into a main character who has major personal challenges. She is good at work, but struggles socially. She has turned her back on her own family. Here I think that the film's bad reviews are undeserved. Because it begins in a way that makes me at least interested in the main character; What is she really struggling with? I'm not going to reveal anything, but when she returns to her home areas it just becomes stupid and very illogical with some supporting roles that overplay and everything eventually seems illogical and poorly thought out.

Unfortunately not a great experience, and I wasn't scared either.

1. A very dark visualistic storytelling about depression and anxiety. Apart from its beautiful countryside locations, the movie overall was a big disappointment. A poorly written, directed and performed psychological horror with an unsatisfied and rushed ending.

2. A very dark visualistic storytelling about depression and anxiety. Apart from its beautiful countryside locations, the movie overall was a big disappointment. A poorly written, directed and performed psychological horror with an unsatisfied and rushed ending.

3. A very dark visualistic storytelling about depression and anxiety. Apart from its beautiful countryside locations, the movie overall was a big disappointment. A poorly written, directed and performed psychological horror with an unsatisfied and rushed ending.

I literally created an account cause I was fed up with this nonsense reviews which tell you nothing, are long until you nothing about the movie self cause the author is trying to impress you with his sentences building skills.

So this movie is extremely boring and full of bizarre scenes. For the first 30 minutes absolutely nothing happens. The actress is incredibly ugly, and no matter what you cannot get over yourself watching.

Terrible acting, the plot is a bunch of nonsense, cause the Director watched the shining too many times

You literally sit the whole movie asking yourself "What the hell is this and why am I still watching it?" Do not watch this movie unless you want to waste one and a half hour of your life. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible.

This movie is wayyyy too good to be rated in the 4s and if you read the reviews you can tell the people writing them aren't real horror fans. The bad reviews for this movie seem like they're coming from Hulu watchers looking for fuller house or something.. I love horror movies and know how hard it is to get my hands on a decent one at this point so I think this movie deserves some credit. Having said that..

This film is a very dark folklore esq tale "hints of films like ritual, hereditary, and the witch". Matriarch depicts alcohol and drug abuse with a great sense of realism as well as showing us a broken mother/daughter relationship that feels very familiar to real life.

I think the concept applied in this film was very fresh and executed intelligently. It felt sort of taboo to watch at times in a good way.. like I shouldn't be seeing this but I'm so glad I get to peer in on this dark and dangerous world from the safety of my living room. The actors gave top notch performances as well.. couldn't have asked for more there. Very good horror movie. B+ from me.

I love it when I watch a film that I know nothing about only to discover it is a hidden gem. While this film may not appease those horror lovers who like lots of blood and huts, I found this more atmospheric horror a breath of fresh air. Or rather, of earthy air.

Another aspect I really loved was the fact that at no point could I guess what was going on, until it was revealed, obviously. And even then there a bit still left up to my imagination.

A third factor I enjoyed was the film's basis in folklore. People, at one stage, actually believed in...I won't give it away... such things. Without the aid of science, technology and the wealth of knowledge we have at our fingertips these days, people living on the land believed in many things that are a mystery to us these days.

Finally, I'd like to add a comment about the brilliant acting by both female leads. The tension between them was palpable and added considerably to the bleak, mysterious atmosphere.

Take a look at it. Recommended.

One of the main things I like about this film is that it's British. Which means it's not a formulaic Hollywood horror. It's much more subtle than that.

The main characters are not likeable; the daughter is a coke addicted alcoholic, and the mother is deeply weird. But the film is darkly beautiful, and I became mesmerised and couldn't drag myself away.

Can't lie, I'm not sure what happened at the end.

I'm not a film critic and don't feel comfortable saying whether this is a good or bad film. What I can say is that I enjoyed watching it, even though it was really quite disturbing.

And I do know that Hollywood couldn't have coped with the nudity and sex scenes (sounds worse than it is), which makes me very grateful for, and supportive of, the British film industry.