Writer/Director: Sean Ellis
Gothic Horror
What it’s about
It’s 19th century France. A pathologist arrives in a remote rural village to investigate what appears to be wild animal attacks, attacks like he’s seen prior from his own village. He uncovers a sinister mystery that’s affecting the villagers.
There are gypsies and creature effects in this one.
What I Thought
Normally, I don’t care for period pieces, a lot of horses in this one. People riding horses, Neighing horses, flaming horses. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. The story flowed nicely, the acting was good, starring Kelly Reilly (Eden Lake), Boyd Holbrook (Narcos; The Predator) and Alistair Petrie (The Terror). The pacing was great, the movie starts off with a pretty intense action packed scene, and the writing was well done. Definitely not a slow burn. It’s been a while since we’ve had a nice gothic horror story like this and you can definitely sink your teeth into this one.
I enjoyed the mythology aspects, the intensity, and there were some really well done brutally gorey scenes. After basically attempting a genocide of the locals, the gypsies place a curse on the wealthy villagers for taking their land. It’s no ordinary curse.
Let’s just say, you’re going to have to mold some large silver bullets for this one.
Final Thoughts
4/5
If I had to complain about anything in this movie, it would be the lighting. It’s often dark, foggy, outside at night, or indoors by candlelight. Although this adds much to the tone of the movie, it also makes it hard to see at times. The creature effects were pretty exceptional. Not your typical hairy beast. It was much more frightening, almost self-aware. It was also nice to see an original story again in the theater. Not a sequel or prequel, just a brand new story.
I enjoyed the acting and there are a few scenes that’ll leave your eyes popping and jaw agape. This is a classic Gothic horror story with a sophisticated edge. Scary where it should be and beautifully eerie. Definitely worth the watch.
Where to find it
Theater release, not on any streaming platforms just yet.
Photo: IMDB
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