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Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
2017 | Horror, Sci-Fi
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
For what it's worth this is incredibly, incredibly convincing for what it is. The problem is that it's actually *too* convincing - this is so caught up in crafting a dead-ringer documentary (albeit admirably so) that it forgets to actually put horror movie stuff in too until the last act when this type of movie is required to spiral out of control. Essentially a beat-for-beat ripoff of all three Blair Witch movies but with aliens instead of the witch, honestly not a terrible concept and this still ends up being way better than at least one of those films anyway. Decently immersive, brisk, and engaging for the dirt cheap prices you can find this for even if it never fully sells itself on its premise. On the one hand I appreciate that this never (bar one sole time) jumps the gun by throwing in cheap jump scares before the buildup has set in (a rarity with these things) but that buildup just lasts too damn long, no excuses. Super well put together but it needed a lot less (or at least more fleshed-out) docu-stuff with that crushingly blandass lead (who conveniently is the only less-than-perfect performance in a film chock full of expert ones [particularly Chelsea Lopez, who gives a tour de force one]) and more eerie found footage stuff with the teens. Eventually turns into exactly what you'd expect. Far from that bad, but still a shame.
  
I See You (2019)
I See You (2019)
2019 | Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
A young lad rides through the forest on a bike, when an invisible force pulls him off. A shot of the main characters house and the title of the movie appears......... Erm OK.... What?
Anyway, when the movie properly starts we are made aware that the husband and wife are having marital problems due to the wife having an affair. At work the husband is placed on the case of the missing boy from the start of the movie, and at home strange things are happening, windows are being broken, photos going missing, TV is turning on by itself and it is evident that someone or something is watching the family.
The first half of the movie is showing the strange things happening, whilst the second half of the movie is dedicated to explaining what is going on and quite frankly I lost interest very quickly.
I found the movie rather boring and uninteresting. The acting throughout was very wooden for the most part, which was very surprising for Helen Hunt as I've always found her good, but it seems her acting skills have withered away over the years. The music they tried too hard to make it sound eerie, that it just ended up sounding like it was put together by a trainee and to top it off nothing in the movie made sense. Overall it was awful, I was time watching the whole time wondering when it would be over.
  
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Ari Augustine (10 KP) rated The Deep in Books

May 4, 2020  
The Deep
The Deep
Alma Katsu | 2020 | History & Politics, Horror, Thriller
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Historical Fiction with a supernatural twist, I was drawn to The Deep like a moth to a flame. It's been awhile since I've read anything compelling enough to read in a single sitting, but Katsu deliveries such a horrific, heartpounding, and mind-spinning twist to a tale we're already so familiar with, that the story grips us from page one.

Annie Hebley is a nurse who survived the sinking of Titanic and has since confined herself to an mental institution. However, at the start of The Deep, she is hired to work on the Britannica to help the wounded WW1 soldiers. What I love about this story is how well it blends actual history in between these moments of atmospheric supernatural events. We meet characters who were once very much alive on a ship that actually existed. There's something eerie about tethering such a story in a historical way that connects to the reader, and this element of the story certainly spoke to me. But what I loved MOST was how unreliable Annie was as a character. Her point of view jumped between 1912 and 1916, blurring the lines of reality even further. Although the pacing wasn't always consistent, I love, love, LOVED Katsu's writing.

Overall, I'd recommend The Deep to anyone with a dash of patience, a dangerous curiosity for the supernatural, and, well, anyone who lives creepy stories rooted in history.
  
The Sanatorium
The Sanatorium
Sarah Pearse | 2021 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
6
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
122 of 230
Book
The Sanatorium ( Elin Warner book 1)
By Sarah Pearse
⭐️⭐️

A beautiful, eerie hotel in the Swiss Alps, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, is the last place Detective Elin Warner wants to be. But her estranged brother has invited her there for his engagement party, and she feels she has no choice but to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. And things only get worse when they wake the next morning to find her brother's fiancée is missing. With access to the hotel cut off, the guests begin to panic.

But this is only the first disappearance. Everyone's in danger - and anyone could be next . . .

If I’m going to be honest I struggled through some of this book! It was ok but that was it just ok! I couldn’t stand the character Will he just drove me crazy I was hoping he would become a victim! It was very middle of the road for me and after all the hype I’d seen I was kinda expecting a little bit more. The main character could have been a bit more interesting I know she has a past that’s dragging her down but I felt it wasn’t explained or brought out very well! It’s a shame as I wanted to love it! Also the Epilogue was a bit strange it didn’t really entice me to want the next book.