Doesnt feel like a horror film until second half

Rating: 7/10 (16 June 2018)

I knew going into this movie that it was going to be a slow burn. However, it never really felt like a horror film for me until half the movie was already. I mean, they tried to give it a creepy atmosphere (like the bird flying into the window) but it honestly felt more like a family drama. Which isnt to say that stuff was bad, its just I was expecting a horror film and to you know, feel horrified. But once the horror does actually start ramping up, I thought it was quite effective. There was a lot of twist and turns. I could never predict where the movie was going to end. I thought Toni Collette was fantastic. One of the best performances this year. I thought Alex Wolff needed some improving. He was fine for the most part except for his crying scenes. I wish the film had ended without the extra bit of dialogue. At that point it was fairly obvious what was happening and it didnt need further explanation. Did the director not trust the audience to know what was happening?
Overall, I have some mixed feelings on the film. At points it seemed like it wanted to go the more psychological horror route and other times it was straight up supernatural horror. It was very disorientating at times. Which works in its favour. And there's a lot of symbolism in the movie that I liked. It is going to be the kind of film that you'll want to discuss afterward. I think I just wish it didnt take so long for the movie to rwally pick up and start feeling a horror film. So for me, I think I'm going to give it a 7.