Family going to hell

Rating: 8/10 (2 March 2020)

Often harrowing in its depiction of a family in serious crisis, with bits of acting that go far beyond the usual acting in horror films. The gradual revelations of supernatural entities may therefore feel like a bit of a cheat for those less inclined to take them seriously. It is like The Omen, but not played for camp. What worked for me was the combination of banal suburbia with witches covens, something done to even greater effect in Rosemary's Baby (a film that - more effectively I think - never totally went the supernatural route, but lingered at its edges). This is tough viewing because of the underlying themes of loss.. By the end you may feel it has all gone too far, but stylistically it certainly works as pure horror. On the other hand, the husband's character needed to be developed a bit more, and the house is just a bit too dark.