The Snare

As a horror movie that frankly spooked the socks off of me, I gotta say this movie deserves more love. It is not lame like some of the Ouija releases. It does not, in my opinion, try to be 'The Shining' or overreach its artistic capabilities. In fact, a close comparison would be 'The Hole' (2001), with more elements of the supernatural mixed in.

The characters are obnoxious but believably real. The film uses several slow shots to build suspense and tension, and this only adds to the general sense of creepiness and unease. I jumped at least three times during this film. Not a fan of jumpscares? Don't worry, there are at least two more mediums of horror used in this film (survival horror and mental illness) so there's something for everybody!

The story is not really original (like I said, The Hole did it before), but its not really predictable and its nice to see the writer make some bold choices. There are plenty of shocking scenes that already make this film stand out from contemporary 'safe' Hollywood horror.

A must see for a horror lover like myself, this will fix you up for a while! 7/10.

Must say, am not a huge fan of this movie after watching, as I feel it did have some issues. Although this is to be expected of course given the natural limitations of a low budget horror.

Despite it's flaws this movie does get a lot of things rights and is a very bold attempt to try and do something different and for that alone I highly commend it as this was so refreshing to see. Was relieved not to have sat through another empty rehash.

It must've took real f****** balls to make something like this in a market that's over- stuffed and over-filled to the brim with generic middle of the road SAFE horror pics.

Some genuine creepy moments in this too. Like on a whole another level of CREEPY!!!!

As for it's flaws, it would have been great to have seen more of Alice's backstory so that we can understand more about her relationship with her father, although I understand why a lot of this was left ambitious and open to speculation.

Also, some of the best bits of this movie are when the two girls are uncovering the fate of those who were trapped in the apartment before they were (won't spoil it here) but it would've been great to have explored this more and to have seen more evidence of 'those who came before'

Certainly don't regret watching and would recommend.

Three young people-- congenitally uncomfortable Forward, her best friend Warren, and Warren's crude boyfriend Paton-- enjoy a secret and illicit holiday on the top floor of an unused resort. Their first morning, the elevator stops working (as well as the emergency stairs' door). Then, the nightmares start.

The Snare actually starts off strong (and in the closing camera-work, Cooper finally shows what he could have accomplished had he put his back into it.) But this film, which is primarily about 3 people's boredom, is itself just as boring.

The characters throw their hands up helplessly very early in the film-- despite having access to much that they could use to try to escape, from fire, to water, to heavy toilets. This film could have chronicled their descent into helplessness, echoed in the transformation of his set, but Cooper's characters are helpless from the beginning, and his movie is static because of it. Forward's initial discomfort is believable, and suggests the potential for transformation-- but no, she never moves past her unease, and Cooper never gives her the opportunity to deviate from the single expression she wears throughout the film.

What about the supernatural element? The creep value? The earliest scenes are good, but The Snare runs out of steam fast, quickly settling into a junior high level of creep, down to the hackneyed phrases carved on the walls, down to the junior high notebook art.

The first thirty minutes of The Snare aren't bad. But the last sixty aren't only bad, they're unchanging. And it's such a shame, because in that first thirty minutes lies the potential for a great film. I'd recommend passing on The Snare.

So many layers, so much going on, difficult to take it all in on the first watch. Certainly requires a second viewing.

If I had to be really critical I would say that I feel like maybe they should have tried harder to find a way out of the apartment and should have tried to find alternate exit routes. It felt as if they gave up a little too easily....but then again, this is no ordinary scenario, since there is this evil demonic force manipulating things from below the surface.

My partner and I talked for ages afterwards trying to unravel what it is that actually dwells in the apartment and whether or not it was real or part of some strange fantasy concocted by the main character.

Don't watch whilst eating.....felt so sick watching parts of it but totally worth it.

Ain't gonna be able to put this one out my head or a while.

For starters, good movie, really enjoyed it.

Strong on atmosphere, great performances, a real sense of mystery throughout and nail biting suspense.

However, I would say that it is weaker overall in terms of story and character, although I don't feel this hurts it too much because of the type of film it is.

This film is more about an experience....an emotion driven, mood driven and tension driven piece and that is where and why I feel it excels.

It doesn't matter whether the characters are likable or not in this context. It's apparent from the get go that this film positions the audience as the cold spectator so that they can witness the horrific events that take place and then draw their own conclusions. It doesn't hold your hand, it's up to you which characters you like or not, feeling connected to them and empathizing with them is not important or essential when it comes to watching this.

Likewise, similarly to The Shining, which was obviously an influence, I get the impression you're not supposed to get all the answers, its not supposed to make complete sense, that's the very nature of what makes the paranormal frightening if you believe in that sort of thing.

It's what makes you think about it afterwards and keeps you talking about it.

Would recommend a watch.