TomOpus

I would hope Westboro Baptist Church would show up since they're fairly close by.

OldBoy

might actually see this tomorrow. we'll see...

Osiris3657

Saw it yesterday. I liked it, but wasn't blown away.

All the actors/actresses speak in heavy accents as well use dialogue from that era ("come hither", "what dost thou want", "I love thee", "where is thy brother", etc). It was difficult to understand with that combination of olde English and heavy accents, especially when they were saying their lines with alot of emotion.

I wasn't exactly clear why the man and his family were kicked out of the plantation.

Creepy atmosphere throughout, great use of music, and some disturbing imagery. The witch always being naked ramped up the creepiness. Also, animals man, they're scary

That last scene was especially interesting.

I give it a B

Mike86

Kind of interested in this but most modern horror films that get high praise never seem to do much for me.

TomOpus

Just got back from seeing it and I would agree with this. Especially the dialogue. Will definitely check it out again on video with the captions on.

Actors did a very good job. The color is really desaturated, at times almost looked b&w. But I understand the reason behind it. Definitely makes it feel extra bleak.

Some of the musical passages felt like they were influenced by the Star Gate sequence from 2001.

Mondo Kane

Just got back from it. Yeah, the language can be tough to decipher, but I'm thankful that they weren't speaking it with a heavy Yorkshire accent, at least.
This movie really got me in a witchy-movie mood (I feel like re-watching Lords of Salem now)

Best scene of the movie for me:

Dr. DVD

Catching this tonight with Movie Pass, but I have found myself underwhelmed by horror movies as of late, even those that get critical acclaim. Maybe I'm just numb to everything. I enjoyed Crimson Peak visually, but then again, that wasn't really a horror movie.

TomOpus

Have seen some comments on the internet. As I suspected people are saying "couldn't understand a damn thing" "boring as hell" "overhyped."

Dr. DVD

Saw it. More or less agree with the sentiments on this board. I admire the movie more than I like it I think. Kudos for making the dialogue historically accurate, and for relying on creepy atmosphere instead of cheap scares. That said, I think critics are so tired of teen bopper horror that they automatically blow their load when something that tries to be moderately intelligent in the genre comes along. Basically, this movie is a bit overrated IMO , at east at this point. I am glad I viewed the old silent movie "Haxan" a few years ago, as it enhanced my overall comprehension of certain events. Also, just about every "freaky" moment in this movie can be seen in the previews. Lower your expectations.

That said, I thought the young performers all did a great job, particularly those who played Caleb and Tomessan .

TomOpus

I have a feeling this movie will do well this weekend but will have a big drop-off. It's being hyped way too much. I think most people are expecting to be blown away.

Mike Long

I've learned that if a modern horror film has an 80% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes, I don't rush out to see it, as I will be disappointed. Most of these movies are things which seem "fresh" to mainstream critics, but don't come across as original to hardcore horror fans.

TomOpus

It comes down to what scares you. This movie isn't full of jump-scares or clowns or stalking killers.

Osiris3657

Ha, yea it appears audiences are not enjoying it as much as the critics. 87% on RT from the critics, and 57% from the audience.

onebyone

I really liked it, but it is slow moving & basically a period piece so might not be for everyone. The direction and lighting were very good so I felt very immersed in the world. The score was also a highlight. I really enjoyed the child actors too, especially the older daughter. She was fantastic. Hope to see more of her in the future.

Of course, Black Philip deserves an Oscar nomination and is a STAR.

So many movies lose me at the end, but I really like how they finished up this one too. All in all, a great movie experience.

Nth Power

I was disappointed overall with it, but it might have to do with expectations. My friends and I were expecting something great and scary, but it ended up feeling more like a family drama with a supernatural twist.

I thought the pace might pick up through the movie, but it never really did. Pretty slow going and not really scary to me at all. A couple kind of creepy moments, but I just ended up feeling bad for the family.

And agree with the speech being difficult to understand. It was hard to decipher what they were saying some of the time.

Ky-Fi

Fuck Black Philip!

I saw this tonight and thought it was excellent. Probably too slow and bleak to warrant repeat viewings, but I found it to be a very well-made film. Excellent casting and performances, and great period/historical atmosphere. Nice (if slow) pacing, and at 90 minutes or so, didn't wear out its welcome. It was quite interesting in that the Puritan religious worldview and the struggle between man and Satan was not only relevant to the plot---it was the plot.


I thought the director did one difficult thing very skillfully:

Raul3

It is a good movie. It is a good horror movie. It has great acting from all the actors, and even the animals.

I had trouble with the dialogue too. Need subs. Need to read more about the plot.

Most people in my 8 pm showing were disappointed at the end. Several sighs, some even laughed at the last scene, etc. But the general public expect different things from horror movies nowadays.

I would give it a B+ or even an A-

Mondo Kane

Same. There were only 5 people at my showing and I overheard a gal say that to her boyfriend/hubby on the way out.

Good observation there. I'll keep that in mind with another future viewing.

BuddyRevell

Beautifully shot, great score and acting top notch. But what a fart sandwich. I'm on the booooring boat. Not scary (marketing fault). But if you're into a dude, chopping wood for an hour and maybe a teeny bitsy creepy scene or two...than I say got for it. But don't expect a horror movie.

TomOpus

Maybe your theater was having projector probably. I don't remember an hours-worth of woodchopping. But then, I wasn't bored. Sure, wasn't wall-to-wall scares but I was fascinated with the level of detail and the storyline.

Tracer Bullet

I hated this movie. Felt like Eggers took a bunch of influences from much better movies and mashed them together into something that never gelled. Not a scary moment in the entire movie and I actually laughed a couple of time (the raven, Jesus).

Dr. DVD

I think time will be kinder to this movie than current audiences. In the mean time, they can all have whatever horror movie Michael Bay produces like Chainsaw Massacre or Elm Street.

Ky-Fi

One way I always judge movies is "am I still thinking about it after I saw it?" And a day later, I'm still thinking about it. I think it was a very intellectually and artistically challenging film. Were there real witches, or could that aspect have been metaphorical? The film was obviously somewhat critical of the Puritan's rigid religion suppressing female sexuality and empowerment in general, yet it was kind of sympathetic to the Puritans' idea that external evil was a very real and palpable thing. And combining that with the personality quirks and dysfunction that is present in any family, and the incredibly difficult physical battle with survival in a hostile wilderness---I thought there was a lot to chew on in this film.

Raul3

Yep, to everything you said.

I think it was already mentioned here, the movie is receiving great reviews from critics, and mostly bad reviews from regular movie watchers. They probably expected a scare fest.

I think most people would agree that this is a good movie. What's debatable, for some, is if this is a good HORROR movie. It is for me.

The score is just fantastic.

Hazel Motes

Finch. Chris Finch.