By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Richard Stanley
Starring: Elliot Knight | Joely Richardson | Madeleine Arthur | Nicholas Cage
Country: malaysia, portugal, united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 111
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5073642/reference
Jeffrey says: “I wouldn’t nominate this for anything, but if you’re in the mood for a cheesy slice of Lovecraft-inspired horror, this will fill the bill. Nicolas Cage plays Nathan, a typically dotty Cage character. He’s moved his family out to the country to farm alpacas, although it’s never quite clear if he understands exactly what that means. His wife, Theresa (Joely Richardson), supports the family as a financial advisor to some very high-end clients, working alone in a darkened attic at a desk with a computer and a cell phone. Teenaged daughter, Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur), has adopted the persona of a medieval witch, and rides through the forest on a white horse, clad in a cape and casting spells. Her younger brother, Benny (Brendan Meyer), is a stoner and has trouble staying on task when it comes to minding the alpacas. Youngest, Jack (Julian Hilliard), seems to think someone’s living in the well. One night a meteor lands in their front yard, glowing with a light described by one character as a color out of time (although we perceive it as basically magenta). Weird things start to happen and, eventually, horrific things happen in truly eldritch fashion.
“The acting is fine, the cinematography is fine, production design is fine, the effects are pretty good, it’s loud when it should be. There is some gore, but it’s infrequent and not particularly graphic. Honestly, for me the most squeamish scene in the movie involved alpaca milk. 4 cats (if you’re in the mood for it, 3 cats if you’re not)”