FOX
2016 Color
96 Mins.
Horror/Thriler
Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto and Sofia Rosinsky star.
Written and Directed by Johannes Roberts
Rated R for language violence and gore.
Expectations weren't high walking in. But I'm happy to say that The Other Side of the Door is the best pure genre film to come out this year. Where movies like The Forest, The Boy and The Witch failed this movie succeeds in establishing an immersive, intriguing and suspenseful environment. The movie centers on a mother who looses her child in a tragic accident while living in India. Overcome with grief and after an attempted suicide her housekeeper reaches out to her about a temple buried in the woods by her childhood village. The temple has a reputation as being a gateway to the land of the dead. It is a place where you can commune with the deceased but you must follow one rule, never open the door. Well she of course does and it brings fourth the spirit of her son which begins to manifest itself as something evil. Accompanying him is the freaky ass God of the underworld who guards the gate and desperately wants his spirit back. The territory has been visited in better movies but this solid entry approaches the subject matter in an intriguing way. Steeped in cultural folklore the proceedings are creative and refreshing. The solid execution from Roberts creates a thick atmosphere of nail biting suspense and an almost surreal, nightmarish memorable cinematic experience. Accompanied by disturbing visuals, inspired classicesque horror cinematography, solid performances especially from Callies and Sisto and great character work. Not everything in the film works it's obvious that it's limited by a low budget and when it goes into possession territory it becomes a bit forced as does the performance by the young girl. But that ending is a kicker! All things included make "Other Side" a must see for fans of supernatural horror films! It's been a while since we've seen a film of this type bringing a focus on a foreign culture which works especially well if you're feeling nostalgic for the genre greats of yesteryear like Serpent and the rainbow and The Believers. ****/5
No comments:
Post a Comment