The only true horror film?

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2019)

This bleak film just keeps coming at you, but then any movie that begins with a funeral probably isn't going to be a comedy. There are a couple of moments of hope, but they are quickly squashed as the characters are all trapped in an inescapable web. It's a very dark story but then the film makes no apologies; it's refreshing to finally see a completely immersive story that ignores almost all horror film cliches. The hero dies, that's it. But it's how we get there that fascinates, so much so that I watched the film twice and plan to watch it again. Like Rosemary's Baby, the clues build as you go, in subtle ways, and you won't catch them on a first viewing. Toni Collette gives one of her best performances; what she does with her face and voice are sometimes astonishing, whether it's struggling with indecision when she meets Joan or full-bore hysterics when her daughter dies, everything about her character is legitimate. Even before the reveal at the end, I suspected that something was amiss with Charlie; nothing against the actress who plays her, but her odd face, premature development, creepy voice, and strange mannerisms imply that she's something other than what she appears. By far the most amazing scene is the end, and I watched it five times because it's so unexpected and inhuman, so completely dismissive of the struggles of the characters who suffered for it to happen, that it earns authenticity simply because the story has been divorced from any human expectation of a positive ending. The eerie music accompanying the end scene underscores the impression that we're getting a glimpse of hell, and for me it's terrifying. It's not easy to do that, many films have tried and failed.
As much as I love this film, there is one corny old horror movie cliche that prevents me from giving it ten stars, and that's the old book that explains everything, with illustrations no less. Here it's a book about witchcraft that grandmother conveniently left among her belongings. The rest of the film is so unique and original that it's rather glaring when this cliche pops up.