Came to Hulu a little bit ago and finally got around to watching it.
Definitely borrows some elements of "Se7en" and "Silence of the Lambs" (even "Zodiac") but it is definitely not on that level.
Oz Perkins has been cooking lately, to say the least. His newest is that crazy "The Monkey" (still waiting to see that sometime).
Nicholas Cage was the buzz around this when I first heard about it. He is at his unhinged pitch best, but the character is not that interesting or well developed. also loses some luster midway through the film. much creepier in the early parts of it...which for some reason is split into 3 parts. that wasn't really necessary.
the film plays with some themes of satan, control, religious tethering, and even mother/daughter relationship complexities. but it just dabs in everything, and i'd have liked a deeper dive. there's a running creepy doll plot device that is never really brought to anything meaningful other than being an obvious conduit for the girls that are somehow connected to Cage's character.
there's a twist that becomes obvious before it's revealed. it doesn't try to hit you with a sting like an m. night movie but it also didn't really deliver much of a punch.
it's heavy on atmosphere and there are some effective creepy visuals. the "Zodiac" angle started interesting but was solved way too easily and much of the buildup of the procedural part of the film just comes together conveniently. there just wasn't much more to the film, even though it can be very spooky at times.
not a bad movie, just nothing special really.
out of
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