Director William Friedkin (best known for a little film called "The Exorcist") brings us the tale of a woman (Ashley Judd), her violent ex-husband (Harry Connick, Jr.), her new boyfriend who may be a government experiment (Michael Shannon) and millions of invisible bugs. Paranoia, psychosis, drug use and possibly even the government combined to create a world of terror in one small apartment.
I went into this film blindly. I didn't see any trailers or know the plot -- I just saw the poster and my best friend Hannah said we were going to go see it. I can't say no to any film billed as horror if Hannah asks, so I went. While what I saw may not have been "horror", it was a great psychological trip that really worked best by not knowing what I was about to see.
The primary storyline is a drama mixed with very dark humor. The lead (Ashley Judd) is living alone in an apartment while fearing her husband, who is out of jail. She works as a waitress, has a crystal meth addiction, and no friends except for one (a lesbian named R.C.). So when a new man enters her life, she grudgingly accepts him before becoming completely enamored.
The dark humor follows almost completely from the dialog. Michael Shannon's delivery of lines is really funny. He has a start-stop approach I've never heard before and it made even very simple questions and answers very comical. This, more than anything, kept me focused on the film.
The horror elements don't show up until much later, when there are scenes of what I'll call "tooth trauma" and the death of one character (but I won't tell you who) in a fairly violent manner. I could call this psychological horror, but that's not really accurate -- if it scares you in any way, it's a scare to never do crystal meth.
What I liked about the film is when it was over the story seemed pretty concrete and even the stranger elements were wrapped up with a pretty common sense answer. Yet, upon further reflection, you have to wonder: who was making the phone calls? How did the doctor know about the missing son? Why was a doctor doing drugs? These questions are either anomalies or point to a much bigger behind-the-scenes plot from the very beginning.
This is the sort of film I loved but cannot recommend to anyone. I get the impression most people would come back and say, "you made me watch something incredibly stupid". And that's understandable. So, let's say this: I loved this film, think everyone should see it, but I don't recommend it, so if you do see it, I wasn't the one who encouraged you.
I went into this film blindly. I didn't see any trailers or know the plot -- I just saw the poster and my best friend Hannah said we were going to go see it. I can't say no to any film billed as horror if Hannah asks, so I went. While what I saw may not have been "horror", it was a great psychological trip that really worked best by not knowing what I was about to see.
The primary storyline is a drama mixed with very dark humor. The lead (Ashley Judd) is living alone in an apartment while fearing her husband, who is out of jail. She works as a waitress, has a crystal meth addiction, and no friends except for one (a lesbian named R.C.). So when a new man enters her life, she grudgingly accepts him before becoming completely enamored.
The dark humor follows almost completely from the dialog. Michael Shannon's delivery of lines is really funny. He has a start-stop approach I've never heard before and it made even very simple questions and answers very comical. This, more than anything, kept me focused on the film.
The horror elements don't show up until much later, when there are scenes of what I'll call "tooth trauma" and the death of one character (but I won't tell you who) in a fairly violent manner. I could call this psychological horror, but that's not really accurate -- if it scares you in any way, it's a scare to never do crystal meth.
What I liked about the film is when it was over the story seemed pretty concrete and even the stranger elements were wrapped up with a pretty common sense answer. Yet, upon further reflection, you have to wonder: who was making the phone calls? How did the doctor know about the missing son? Why was a doctor doing drugs? These questions are either anomalies or point to a much bigger behind-the-scenes plot from the very beginning.
This is the sort of film I loved but cannot recommend to anyone. I get the impression most people would come back and say, "you made me watch something incredibly stupid". And that's understandable. So, let's say this: I loved this film, think everyone should see it, but I don't recommend it, so if you do see it, I wasn't the one who encouraged you.