Many ways ... many views ... many feelings

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2017)

You can tell by how people react to reviews on this, that they have made up their mind. The director himself likes the fact the movie does not leave people without emotions. Be it joy for liking it or hate for disliking it. Even strong annoyance if you feel that hate is too strong a word is well received. And we also know that the director does have a tendency to go religious on us.
That is not a bad thing but it may be helpful for the viewer who want to know what is going on. Or want answers! They are sort of written down ... in a book. But this is not just the making of ... this can also be seen as an allegory on many other things. And Darren is not someone who'd squash anyones view on the matter. He said he made one movie, but he welcomes any other interpretation. And there is a lot to discover.
If you are open and receiving for the way the movie tells its story, for the way the characters behave (because they can be pretty annoying, especially out of context, but even if you get certain things, it'll be pretty stressing to see certain things happen) ... with certain life experiences, different feelings may arise while watching. That's why everyone watches a different movie (subjectively speaking). Yet there are so many universal themes (or even otherworldly?) in it, that there should be something for everybody.
Again slow pacing and agonizing horror are front and center. Though almost nothing can prepare you for that last part of the movie. Then again I wouldn't want it any other way myself. I was at the edge of my seat - even when I was frustrated by things happening. A movie that dares you to think all the time and is made for multiple viewings. And for a movie that is aiming for head/brain rather than the heart, it is able to get quite a lot of emotion from anyone watching ...