Unlike anything I've seen before, and full of tension

Rating: 10/10 (29 May 2019)

This is a fine example of crisis horror, and groundbreaking, much in the way Wolf Creek was groundbreaking when it came out. Like Wolf Creek, it introduces us to a diabolical baddie, this time played by an unrecognisable Patrick Steward. He's a million miles from Star Trek in this, and magnificent. His performance was intoxicating, and together with the wandering and constantly surprising story and script, hard to look away. In many, many horror stories we are used to a group of young people being picked off one by one. Green Room's originality is that although that's the case here as well, it is presented in such a way that you really won't be able to see around any corner. It's much more real than your average teen horror, in that no-one falls to pieces, although clearly terrified, and in that things actually happen as you'd expect them to in real life, chaotically and usually with everyone (baddies included) fumbling badly. No-one is really a hero, another brilliant aspect. Patrick is not the only baddie, here they come in all shapes and temperaments, and their scheming is diabolical. Everything is just so unexpected. All the performances are terrific, perfectly cast, and although nothing is groundbreaking in any of the film techniques themselves, they were obviously all professional and competent, as all you'll ever notice is the strange tale being told and being spellbound as to what the hell might happen next. It's full of classic new shivers this one, and Jeremy Saulnier deserves to be on people's watch list for creating a truly original against the odds piece of genius.