Directed by James Wan. Written by Akela Cooper. Starring Annabelle Wallis, George Young, Maddie Hasson, Susanna Thompson, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mckenna Grace, Jake Abel and Jacqueline McKenzie.
Plot: a woman begins having visions of people being murdered, only to realize the visions are all too real.
This very complex story opens in 1993 at the Simion Research Hospital. Dr. Weaver (McKenzie) is treating a patient named Gabriel, who we never see clearly, but who appears to be inhuman. One night, Gabriel breaks out, killing several of the staff at the hospital. When they tranqualize him and have him under control again, he uses speakers in the room to broadcast his very personal and ugly thoughts. He tells them he will kill them all, at which point Dr. Weaver admits that while she thought she could help him, she was wrong, and that the “cancer needs to be cut out”.
Fast foward to present day, a woman, Maddie (Wallis), is pregnant. Her husband, Derek (Abel), is a dick though. Very possessive and abusive. They get into another large fight, he hits her in the stomach, slams her into a wall and she loses the baby. Derek is killed by something in the house. Her sister, Sydney (Hasson) comes to help out, but after losing the baby, Maddie’s gone pretty much catatonic. Then the visions start.
Let’s get this out in the open right now: we feel this movie is shockingly bad. It is a tense story, but it’s not a realistic one. It’s nonsense and horribly far-fetched. I like a good twist every now and again, but this not a good twist. We heard all the incredible reviews about the “bonkers twist” and it was a letdown. I don’t always see the twists coming either, but I did this time. I suppose some people found it disturbing and that was exciting for them, but we found it ridiculous. And the quaint, little, “Hallmark” ending they tried to push out after the big reveal was maddening.
Also, while Grace, Thompson and Kelly put in tremendous effort, the acting was not as consistant by everyone around them. The effects were kind of lackadaisical, at best. The rules were flimsy. The story made you think there were rules, but that just wasn’t so. The motive was weak, too, and I believe that’s what the creative team was really pushing, so that was a fail. Overall, if you want to give it a whirl, I won’t reveal the twist to you. As for us, we will never watch it again. As a matter of fact, we’re going to try hard to forget we watched it at all.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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