Director: Tate Steinsiek
Year: 2020
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Creature Feature
Plot:
Following a devastating car accident, a now-blind woman and her boyfriend decide to visit her ancestrally-inherited castle in Albania to rest up and look over the items left inside, but when they discover a stranger living inside its walls are forced to confront a greater evil than they ever expected.
Review:
This was a far-better-than-expected remake. Among the better elements here is the rather impressive build-up done to generate a sense of sympathy for the creature. Featuring the early scenes involving the religious-fanatic caretaker trying to keep him hidden away with extreme prejudice and resorting to flagellation to deal with the guilt of the situation, the idea of him being a lonely, neglected individual due to his deformity and peer pressure comes through quite nicely. Given that this all comes across with the conditions of the house showing this to be a rather closed-off and religious-leaning environment makes his behavior all the more reasonable and rational.
This manages to enhance the film’s gothic atmosphere quite well to give this a solid feel for the most part. The ornate architecture, religious statues, stone construction and massive spaces filled only by candlelight leave it with a mix of grandiose foreboding and impressive setting that exudes Gothic ambiance. The fact that it serves as a logical setting for the type of scares and situations that show up throughout here is quite enjoyable, managing to generate some creepy scenes here with the constant noises behind the walls, her bumping into things and managing to come across the various clues hidden around the castle that build up the idea of someone inside.
The last part to like here is the general air of sleaze and graphic bloodletting. Starting with the brutality inflicted upon the being which is only shown in enough shadow to hold off the reveal but still get an idea of what’s going on, this gives a great idea of what’s going to be offered here which is carried over into the other attacks on the junkie or the estate agent. Including the sensuality aspect in the cheating sex scene where it takes her place unknowingly for the sequence, the inclusion of this part of the film continues nicely with the true details of its conception and creation that leads into a solid finale which is quite enjoyable. These, for the most part, are what give this a lot to like.
This one does have some slight issues. The main problem affecting this one is the languid and generally disappointing pacing that makes this one feel far too long for its own good. The first half of getting her to her condition is far too long, as is the extraordinarily long waiting around before the creature gets loose and starts on the rampage. Filled with generally bland scenes involving the two of them wandering around the castle, arguing about what to do with what’s left to them or their friends showing up simply for the excuse to have a body-count. This all feels routine, cliched and highly uninvolved which makes this incredibly overlong, and alongside the inherently stupid decisions to stay in the castle after knowing something’s there are what hold this one back.
Overview: ***.5/5
A wholly enjoyable and enjoyable remake that manages to get a lot of enjoyment out of it while still doing its own thing, the few flaws to be found here aren’t that detrimental and manage to just slightly lower this one from all the fun positives on display. Give it a look if you’re into these kinds of sleaze-filled Gothic genre efforts or just curious about the attempted update, while most others who aren’t that kind about the need to do so should heed caution.
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