Escapism

The supernatural aspects in this film could’ve been explored more than it was to make the events of the film resonate deeper. Presence is the latest film from prolific director Steven Soderbergh, it tells the story of a family who are convinced they are not alone after moving into their new suburban home. First things first, expectation management is required for Presence because this film is marketed as a horror film and it’s not. I believe labelling it a horror is a disingenuous mistake which will do no favours for the film. It will simply set audiences up for disappointment by leading them to watch it with the wrong expectations, because the type of film the trailer sold to them isn’t the film they’ll see. Presence is more of a family drama with subtle elements of a supernatural thriller. The entire film is told from the refreshingly unique POV of an entity within the house, as we observe the family’s business. The camera conveys this perspective brilliantly by manoeuvring throug...

The story really struggles to transform beyond its first phase. Even when the Wolf Man aspects of the story take shape, it still feels largely uneventful and dare I say, dull. Back in 2020 Leigh Whannell directed The Invisible Man which was a modern vision of one of Universal’s classic monsters. It was an excellent thriller that used the titular character to tackles themes of domestic abuse within its narrative. Fast forward five years and Leigh’s follow up is yet another film centred around a classic Universal monster, The Wolf Man . Wolf Man tells the story of Blake ( Christopher Abbott ) who along with his wife Charlotte ( Julia Garner ) and daughter Ginger ( Matilda Firth ) are attacked by an unseen animal, whilst saying at a remote house. As the night continues Blake himself begins to transform into something unrecognisable.  This iteration of the Wolf Man attempts to present a unique perspective for a werewolf story. Gone are many of the tropes we have come to expect from ...

“Every frame is meticulously crafted and contribute to this overbearing atmosphere and sense of foreboding dread, that is present from the very first frame until the final one.” The dawn of a new year is upon us and with it comes the fourth film from director Robert Eggers. His iteration of  Nosferatu  has been in varying stages of development for almost ten years. It was originally planned to be his second feature after The Witch, and at that time Anya Taylor Joy was his favoured choice portray the lead role of Ellen. Nosferatu  now comes to us after  The Lighthouse  and  The Northman  which have increased Robert’s cachet as one of the best directors of his era. Nosferatu  has staked an important place in the history of film with the original 1922 silent film producing some of the most recognisable frames in all of cinema. In 1979 audiences were introduced to Werner Herzog’s remake,  Nosferatu the Vampyre.  Now Robert Eggers has brought...