This 2022 psychological thriller stars Maika Monroe as a woman who becomes increasingly anxious as she feels she's being stalked by a man living in the building across from hers.
Julia (Monroe) has just moved to Bucharest with her husband, who is there for work. She notices a neighbor across the way staring out the window into their apartment. This causes her increasing anxiety after it comes to light that a serial killer is active in the area, having killed four women. She soon begins to see this mysterious man everywhere, convinced that he’s following her. Her husband, however, continues to downplay her anxiety, and is sure that she’s probably imagining it.
This is a slow burn film that takes its time to let the story unfold. The acting from everyone is great, with Monroe doing a fine job of showing how women often have to keep their concerns in check for fear of being dismissed as a hysterical woman. The film does a good job of making the viewer wonder whether her growing paranoia is valid or not, creating an increasing uncertainty that works to keep the viewer engaged in the story. The creepy vibe also helps to keep things oppressively bleak, often reminding me of Hitchcock’s work, and other films like Polanski’s The Tenant, and the more recent Black Swan. I streamed this film on Tubi. Check it out if it sounds like your cup of tea.
The next film I watched was a late 80’s horror tale about teens in the woods being terrorized by a crazed killer in a bear suit.
According to an old Nordic legend, a berserker is a bloodthirsty warrior who eats human flesh and is cursed to be reincarnated in their blood kin. Josh and his friends drive up to Rainbow Valley campground, where they plan on spending the weekend engaging in the usual teenage shenanigans of drinking beer, smoking pot and having sex. Their fun is ruined when the berserker shows up and attacks them. Now they must try to survive the night and avoid being the killer’s next victim.
This movie is lame as hell. The attacks are more laughable than thrilling, the cast are awful, and the script simply meanders from one set piece to another. It ultimately ends up a hokey bore fest, filled with drawn out scenes of the characters chatting, as well as them wandering around, lost through the foggy woods. There’s also multiple scenes of a real bear just frolicking around the forest, doing nothing until his big showdown with the berserker. The identity of the killer is also laughable, as his physical appearance is nothing like the person it’s supposed to be (think an old, out of shape middle aged man supposedly being a young, muscular, fit warrior). This is one of those flicks where the plot sounds great, but the execution goes off the rails, ending up a forgettable mess. I streamed this thing on Tubi as well.
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