Nicely balanced dual layers

Rating: 8/10 (24 November 2018)

I really like it when movies makes bold use of shifting perspectives so as to blur the lines of reality and imagination. This movie does that really well. Lovecraftian techniques comes to mind here. On one level nothing occult ever happened in this movie. Only mentally ill people had these experiences. This illness was hereditary so the father did not experience anything occult, even though he sufferes from the illness of those around him. On the occult level, there is just a plain story about possession and a demon, and not at all that interesting, but that doesn't matter. The paralleled storytelling is really good, and caters a lot for those only focusing on the traditional occult horror theme, and I like that. Either you appreciate the dualism, and if you don't, it's nice to not have a psychiatrist thrown into the mix to "explain" the alternative perspective. It will alienate the occultists, so why bother? Just have the minimum of skepticism in there needed to hold up the rationalist line of the story. The father character does this really well. Nothing else is needed. Good sustained atmosphere, a bit heavy on cliches, but horror fans love that, me included, even if sometimes takes away some of the immersion. Recommended viewing.