MovieChat Forums > Session 9 (2001) Discussion > How can anyone really 'like' this movie?

How can anyone really 'like' this movie?

posted 11 years ago by regexfan
30 replies | jump to latest

I don't get it. If I were 18 or 21 I would probably really love this movie. But I'm not. I'm older and I've seen many movies like this in so many different languages. They're all the same. Nothing original here.

The only thing worth mentioning in the movie is the different voices in the tape. That was really good, and creepy too. Other than that, I liked the way they didn't add over the top special effects and soundtracks, and the way the characters were kept very minimum and the conversations realistic.

But the ending, oh please, very cliche and predictable, nothing special. The way they revealed who's "responsible" seemed rushed and lame.

I understand why people who like gore movies might hate this movie, but I'm not even a fan of gore. I just don't think this is a good movie and can't understand people who call this movie a "classic", "masterpiece", etc etc. The movie isn't bad, it's just average, that's all it is. Thoughts?

[–] clockworkorange13 11 years ago

im 26 and a huge horror fanatic. ive seen everything. i believe this to be one of the eeriest and atmospheric horror movies of all time. it has a cold tense feeling thatll keep your stomach in a knot for the whole movie. so i guess what im saying is that i couldnt disagree with you more. its a great movie.

[–] suzy8track 11 years ago

I'm 50 and a huge horror fan. I really enjoyed this film. It not a "classic" or "masterpiece", but I thought it was pretty damned good and entertaining. The sense of dread and tension, along with the asylum backdrop really made for a creepy film that made me think about it for days afterwards.

[–] rooee 10 years ago

I echo your thoughts. It was refreshing to see a thoughtful, tension-building horror that didn't rely on jump scares, and I liked the visual references to The Shining, but it was essentially a fairly generic movie elevated by a good cast. For me, it lacked the kinds of indelible images and set-pieces that define classic horror. The only really creepy scenes involved the tape - very effective. I was less convinced by the supposedly 'sane' characters.

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] lukemccaine-513-253686 10 years ago

probably because there were no sane characters.
not completely sane at least

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] domagoj-bedenikovic 10 years ago

Thanks man, for revealing the end.. a**hole.. Should have given the heads up first, not just jumping right into it!

[–] atdifeind 10 years ago

Why are you reading message boards on a 13 year old movie and complaining about spoilers? Watch the film before discussing its inner workings you dingus.

[–] Danimal_77 9 years ago

Thank yourself for reading threads of a movie prior to watching it yourself.

[–] HorrorOverEverything 10 years ago

I'm 22 and to me this felt like a made for TV movie, and a bad one at that. Not sure why it developed such a cult following. I just don't see it I guess.

[–] jdemech02 10 years ago

Imre Demech
Good it's not a Freddie, Michael Myers or any other slasher flick going for a part 3 episode. The movie was interesting making one want to know what was gonna happen next. It also was somewhat confusing with the character Gordon acting strangely. I don't expect every movie to be great, but at least watchable until the end. Enough interest to hold the viewer to it. I liked the whole idea of the writers with the Asbestos being removed from an old Mental Institution. This made it more of a modern horror flick. Would of been great to watch this at a " Drive-in Theater " as a teenager.

[–] haunt_freak 10 years ago

But the ending, oh please, very cliche and predictable, nothing special. The way they revealed who's "responsible" seemed rushed and lame.

I agree with you there. This ending has been done to the point of exhaustion. However, the movie did create a great atmosphere and dread. The Mary Hobbes recordings alone were magnificent.

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] juxtapose70 10 years ago

I've seen 'em all at age 51 and the word "dread" nails it. This film is filled with ugly, horrible stories from the past that come back worming into the minds of blue collar asbestos workers who had nothing to do with what went on at Danvers. It changed them all....and not by some supernatural b.s., rather by the atmosphere, stress and their own inner demons and obsessions. "the weak and the wounded".....that sums up all of these guys. No gore, just atmospheric creepiness like I have never seen. This makes all "asylum" movies appear comical...same with The Shining...I watched both back to back and I fell asleep on The Shining and the over the top cliched comments by Nicholson. But whilst watching this flick...I stopped breathing and had to remind myself, and didn't hardly blink until my eyes watered. No CGI, no special effects...just plain evil, disturbing flick. Best ever...

I challenge anyone to name one that's better, and then I'll tell you why it's not..

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[–] horcrux2007 9 years ago

Yeah, how can ANYONE have a different opinion than you??? That's just silly!

[–] evil_nemesis 9 years ago

Just watched it and I can say it was just another good movie but nor really horror and I'm 31 :) The only scene I found scary was the stairwell scene with Hank standing that was creepy. The movie was more mysterious to me than horror. I can easily say that sinister beats the hell out of this movie.

Even if I had to choose between Lake mungo and this I would go for Lake Mungo in terms of scares and touching story but if you want to choose thriller / mystery movie than this one is better.

= The Nemesis =

[–] regexfan 9 years ago

Thank you for not adding ANYTHING to the conversation. Bye.

[–] horcrux2007 9 years ago

There was hardly a conversation to begin with. You trying to force your opinions on everyone else can only loosely be called a conversation.

[–] regexfan 9 years ago

I said this:

I started this thread like over a year ago? At the time I didn't understand why people dubbed this as a "masterpiece" etc. But that was the point of starting the thread. So that the said people could enlighten me on why they regard this movie very highly. I was asking for opinions, not finalizing my opinion on people.

The thread was *not* meant to bash this movie or to say something along the lines of "this movie sucks, you people are dumb for liking it!". I'm not an angst teenager, I don't do that.

But the thoughtful, rational, and nice people who cared to tell me *why* they thought of the movie so highly here have made me understand the elements of the movie that I might have ignored before. Still not my favorite movie, still not high on my list, but now I understand why some people loved it.

And to the people who didn't add anything to the discussion, thank you anyway.

If you're going to cry in the corner and be upset just because someone said something bad about your favorite movie, go on and do that. Just don't comeback to my thread. I don't wish to talk to people who can't talk about a movie maturely. IMDB seems to be full of that kind of people, I don't feed their childishness.

[–] horcrux2007 9 years ago

Why are you getting so angry about this? The only person acting childish here is you. If your motive for making the thread was just to get opinions, you sure made the title sound like other people can't possibly have a different opinion than you.

[–] regexfan 9 years ago

Why are you still replying? Never mind, added to my ignore list. Have fun writing replies that I won't be reading.