Movies
A stylish horror flick. The stark styling, slow pacing and lack of clear narrative may be a bit challenging, certainly when you're not expecting a more arthouse-like approach to the genre. Keating isn't playing around though, he had a pretty clear game plan and his execution is top-notch. Darling, a young girl, is hired to take care of an old house while the owner is away on vacation. Before the owner leaves, she discloses that the previous caretaker killed herself by jumping off a balcony. When Darling finds a neckless in her room and puts it on, strange visions begin to plague her. The stark black and white cinematography works very well, the editing is snappy and bold, the soundtrack moody and unsettling. The performances are a bit wonkier and I wouldn't have minded had the horror elements been just that little more outspoken (though there is some gruesome onscreen stuff here), other than that a very cool horror flick.Read all
A horror film that thrives on atmosphere. The underlying mystery isn't too complex, but it is revealed slowly and without too much explicit dialogue. Keating does a lot of things right, it's just that the middle part is a tad tepid and the reveals aren't that exciting, which lessens the impact of the mystery. Marie gets an odd letter, saying her mother's grave has been desecrated. She has to come as quickly as possible, but the cemetery is on a remote island. When they get there the guard won't let them through, as the bridge had been closed down until spring. When he reads Marie's letter, he changes his mind and lets her through. The performances are more than solid, the build-up of the atmosphere is great, and the gradual reveals keep the mystery strong. But the mystery itself is a bit simple and not all too appealing, and it's not as visually striking or imaginative as it could've been. Still, props for making a slightly different type of horror, there's more than enough quality here to warrant it a fair shot.Read all
