Old School Classic Thrills With Modern Day Jumps!

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2017)

I don't know why it has taken me until now to watch this movie, maybe after seeing it surface on Netflix recently, It has charm and stays true to horror without veering off course. I instantly wanted to watch it after seeing a trailer, and I take my horror movies quite seriously (Exorcist, Omen etc being classical and modern day scares being cheap and jumpy- Blair witch really being were it stopped with modern day spooks for me, anything after that era hasn't stuck in mind!)
Once the first 10/20 minutes kicked in it was a captivating blend of aesthetics, modern day teenage drama, American neighborhood, kids taking medication, going to high school and on dates - nothing new there, it reminded me of Netflix's "Stranger Things" all throughout the film, in particular in the acting among-st the kids and in elements of soundtrack. The Soundtrack was fantastic and really was part of the driving force of this film which seems to rely on suspense, drama and focusing on the story, old school techniques that the best horror movies used. The film looks very beautiful, it's dark and brooding, and has this really grainy type of feel to it. It seemed like I heard a tiny bits of the "Halloween" movie score throughout, which again- instantly made me think and associate this with old fashioned horror movies. Hearing that hammer horror type corny music when you know "the monster is nearby" still creates that hand over the eyes effect, even in me. I suppose people are so used to the narrative of the jump scare scenes of horror flicks today they can almost predict how it's going to go in real time. This was semi predictable but brought some fresh new things to the table.
The main character Jay didn't really get a full introduction, or a back story, and I like that they just let her character be, and we go along with her mystique and calm nature. She reminded me of a more rough and tumble version of Hillary Duff, they also keep her respectable throughout the film were she spends a large portion of it half naked running around. When I got half way into the film something in my head said "this is a little bit like a cheeky nod to STDs" ,passing on to people maybe without them knowing who has it or what it looks like, it wasn't until I read the trivia afterwards that I made the connection so it was doing it's job right with the theme.
I think I was sold from the part 20mins in where she was in class and staring out the window. Again, it was a little nod to the infamous Halloween scene, and I forgave it for being an overused scene now from other movies abusing it, but this movie took it a little more aggressive and creepy with having it as an old woman, out of place, walking straight towards her. The safety net dropping once you realize the other kids can't see her only the main character.
It kept my attention pretty much 80% throughout the whole film, and for a recent horror flick, that is good going. Combining some jump scenes with realistic special effects alongside old school horror movie techniques it creates a perfect balance of old and new. There wasn't any obvious plot holes or moments when I thought "I was going with it up until ..." it all just ran smoothly, and passed the mark in my book.
As for the ending I enjoyed it. It really wasn't going to turn out any other way in my mind other than something like that, and I think that that kind of ending has been used for centuries now, old and new, and it still works!