a classic made by an icon

Rating: 7/10 (7 January 2017)

How is this movie good? Let me count the ways.
First, it's a classic made by an icon, and both started their own version of cult, so watching it is almost didactic.
Second, it is refreshing to be reminded that low-tech ways of creating constantly rising tension are at least as powerful as extensive views of most gory scenes. You don't need to see the monster to be scared thoughtless, and the scariest beasts live in the imagination, especially if you add just the right soundtrack.
Third, there are some visually hypnotic moments, like the reflection of rapidly flipping pages in Brody's glasses that convey nicely the turmoil of his mind. Or the violent cloud of blood in the water at the very end. Beautiful.
Fourth, it simply is entertaining