Accomplished horror, this unpleasantly creepy ghost story from J.A. Bayona (of the suggestively frightening A MONSTER CALLS/’16) was exec produced by Guillermo del Toro whose fine early film, THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE/’01, touched similar narrative & emotional territory. But don’t be misled, in spite of similar components, the main influence isn’t del Toro but James M. Barrie and Henry James; PETER PAN meets THE TURN OF THE SCREW, though more focused on SCREW’S death fixation than PAN’s delayed puberty. After an opening prologue at a slightly sinister orphanage (later of help explaining the inexplicable), we jump ahead decades to its transformation as a posh mansion for a couple with an adopted child of their own, and more children on the way with plans to reopen the space as a facility for a few select, damaged kids. But something goes terribly wrong on opening day and their beloved, if troubled, adopted son mysteriously disappears. But with no body found after months, there’s no closure, and the wife (herself a former resident at the orphanage) starts falling apart while the husband hopes to move on. How is the mother to know that the truth, once discovered, might be worse than never knowing. Elegantly handled and carefully constructed to keep us horribly well-informed at every step, the film is both immaculate and repelling in an overly clever way. It’s admirable and hard to like. With an unexpectedly good little spot for the wraithful presence of Geraldine Chaplin as a psychic medium.
DOUBLE-BILL: As mentioned above, del Toro’s masterful DEVIL’S BACKBONE and Bayona’s A MONSTER CALLS.
No comments:
Post a Comment