HORRO MOVIE REVIEW: JESSABELLE




3/5

Jessabelle, a twenty something woman, has to return to her childhood home and spend time with a father she barely knows. Soon she discovers tapes that her deceased mother has recorded before her birth. Curious to know her origins Jessabelle starts watching the tapes one by one, sinking deeper into despair and into madness, just like her mother did many years ago.

Jessabelle may not be very original but effective. The premise of beautiful young lady locked up in a creepy house full of ghosts and with imminent growing danger works well. The not so straight forward mystery is also pretty good. There will be no major revelations but you get a decent satisfying answer for all the happenings and sometime simple is the best.

Anton Sanko's haunting soundtrack compliments the creepy setting of an old New Orlean house and some creative cinematography is just enough to fill in the absence of visual effect. Sometimes it's all about atmosphere and Jessabelle delivers it in brackets.

I would have liked the movie more if not for a very flat ending. There could have been more action, more creativity, more drama. Many of the original set ups, especially Jessabelle's temporary being bound to a wheel chair, are underused. But I guess the budget also dictated where the story had to go. Without breaking any new ground Jessabelle delivers on its promise. It is scary, atmospheric and beautifully shot. Not being particularly great, it will not disappoint.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Door Lock (Korean Movie Review)

Image
8/10 The life of Kyung-min is a work-home-sleep routine and rarely varies. But out of nowhere unsettling incidents start creeping in. The door handle to her apartment turns in the middle of the night as if someone is trying to enter, repeatedly dialling the passcode of her door lock. Is it possible that someone enters her apartment when she is out at work or worse, when she is fast asleep? And how all this connected to the disappearance of a girl next door? Kyung-min will not rest until she finds out, even if it may cost her her life. DOOR LOCK is loosely based on a Spanish movie SLEEP TIGHT which was rather a drama than a thriller. By changing the setting to a cold faceless suburb of Seoul the movie takes us into the heart of an urban nightmare where it’s easy to disappear and no-one will come looking for you. Kyung-min is an unlikable protagonist who is suffering from multiple phobias and is even ready to break certain rules to flirt with her clients, but she develops strength
Read more

IFF MOVIE REVIEW; PARTLY CLOUDY WITH SUNNY SPELLS (TEMPO INSTABILE COM PROBABILI SCHIARITE)

Image
2 1/5 /5 Ermanno and Giacomo are two friends and partners in a small furniture business. As their finances are running dry threatening the closure of the factory an incredible thing occurs - they discover the the oil on their backyard. To put the oil on a production rails requires a significant investment of money and effort, and the two old friends go head to head when their opinions on what to do with the grand discovery differ. What will win, the honest stubbornness or practicality? There are films that are not intended for an international market and PARTLY CLOUDY is one of those films. Oriented mainly for the family viewing it includes animation sequences that are too unoriginal to attract younger viewers while the two middle aged men arguing over the oil does not make an intensive enough experience for an older audience either. Even the charisma of the ever popular  Luca Zingsretti in the role of Giacomo is somehow inefficient in this well written, but weakly sho
Read more

We'll End Up Together - Nous Finirons Ensemble (French Movie Review)

Image
10/10 Max has a sixtieth birthday coming up. The problem is he is broke, divorced and depressed. When a group of his best friends show up at his doorstep to help him celebrate, he reluctantly agrees to spend a few days with them, but won’t explain what’s going on in his personal life. When ones darkest moments come, will friendship conquer all? Seven years after the breakout success of the film Little White Lies (Les Petits Mouchoirs) comes the long anticipated sequel and it is worth the wait. The success of WE’LL END UP TOGETHER is not in its rather predictable plot, but the chemistry on screen, the characters that we recognise ourselves and our friends in, and the amazing warm atmosphere that makes one believe there’s no problem a good dinner with friends won’t sort out.  Written and directed by much loved French actor and director  Guillaume Canet this movie feels like a welcome return home to those who have seen the original and will also welcome new viewership - the film c
Read more