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Weird, mysterious and quite unsettling. Poots and Eisenberg are both great, but it's the kid (in all its forms) that really stands out here. The styling is solid (though the CG a little underwhelming), the film retains its mystery until the very last scene and the soundtrack is effective. A very nice surprise, a little more polish and Finnegan is ready for a masterpiece.
Early Finnegan. Irish horror has established itself as a pretty safe bet. Their films are rarely great, but never bad, and if you're looking for a fun horror, you can't really go wrong with them. Without Name is a film that thrives mostly on mystery elements, but shoots off into horror territory at the very end. Eric is a land surveyor who is working a big job out in the middle of nowhere. He stays in a cabin formerly occupied by Devoy, a strange man who disappeared into thin air. Locals tell Eric that Devoy was into some weird stuff, believing the Earth itself had created its own unique language to communicate with people. Without Name is a pretty mysterious film, that doesn't offer an easy conclusion. It gets weirder and more obtuse as the film progresses, with a superb finale to close everything down. Finnegan's direction isn't consistent enough to make this a personal favorite, but it was a damn fine film regardless.Read all
A fine little horror film that loses itself a bit too much in its dramatic background story. It kills the tension in the run-up to the finale, which ultimately undermines the atmosphere meticulously built up during the first half of the film. It's a shame, as the potential for a stylish horror darling was definitely there. Christine is a respected fashion designer, but she struggles to combine her professional life with her family life. She has strange episodes where she blanks out and suffers from hallucinations. One day a Filipina housemaid shows up on her doorstep, taking a load off her shoulders while starting her healing process. The horror elements are pretty scarce, but they're aided by an intriguing mystery that builds up purposefully. The performances are strong, the scares are solid (though the special effects could've used some work) and the styling is polished. The finale is pretty fun too, but the dull reveal leading up to it could've used a little extra refining. Good, but far from great.Read all