The Lodge (2020) - Movie Review

The phrase ‘style over substance’ tends to get a bit overused in critical circles. Usually, it’s applied to films that are far more interested (or at least are perceived to be more interested) in showcasing cinematic style and craftsmanship over deeper textual or subtextual meaning. On its own, there’s really nothing wrong with it as a label or even as an artistic practice; hell, my favourite film of all time is very much style over substance, and that’s one of the reasons I like it so damn much. But then there are the occasional films that embody the phrase in a different manner. Films where both the style and the substance have equal work being put into them, but where one ends up succeeding the other for one reason or another. Unfortunately, this film fits into that category.

Goodnight Mommy (2015) - Movie Review

I’ve brought up the horror rule of what we don’t see is always scarier before, but I haven’t really delved into why it works as well as it does. As much as Hollywood may provide evidence to the contrary, everyone in the human race has an overactive imagination; add to that the unfortunately ingrained fear we have of anything that is unknown or different and you have a person already primed for overthinking. Time for a little thought experiment: Grab Johnny Everyman and throw him into a small room. Tell him that there is someone on the other side of the door and that it is locked. Leave the room and watch the magic begin. As time passes, the possibilities go through his mind: Is it a friend or a foe? Is it someone he knows or is it a complete stranger? Is the door locked to keep the other person out, or is it meant to keep Johnny inside? What would happen if he opened the door? What would happen if he didn’t? Long story short, there’s a reason why ambiguous endings are still being used in films today: We think a lot more about things that are left up to interpretation. With this main idea about uncertainty and what is done in response to it, let’s look at today’s Austrian-born subject… and no, it doesn’t involve getting to da choppa.