Liam D
Another take on Bloody Mary. This one has cliche after cliche in a standard horror film
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
07/18/24
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Audience Member
meh; a Russian version of Bloody Mary -- it wasn't terrible.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
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Audience Member
Ok one time watch, Russian with subtitles
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/18/23
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jesse o
I don't recall seeing many Russian horror movies. I don't know whether that's my fault or it's the fact that they just don't make that many. I wouldn't count the Night or Day Watch movies, those are more fantasy/action films. So I don't know what to really make about this movie in terms of its approach to horror at least. Admittedly speaking, there are definitely some cool moments in the film for sure. But I can't shake the feeling that, really, this movie just borrows from other horror films and similar mythology. The latter I can forgive, because, the fact of the matter is that every culture in the world has something similar to what the Queen of Spades is here. The equivalent on this side of the world would have to be Bloody Mary. So, again, I can forgive that since, again, there's similar legends across all different cultures. What I can't forgive is the borrowing from other movies. And perhaps that's a bit harsh, because there's plenty of other horror movies that borrow from other sources. So, really, if the film tells its own story without shamelessly ripping off, then there should be no problem, especially if the movie ends up being good. And I'm not even saying that this film shamelessly steals from other sources, but it's just not what I would call a good horror movie, not even close. It's average, or maybe even slightly below that, but I just felt that it misses the mark in terms of its story. I don't know, but there was just something missing. It hits all of the plot points one would expect from this type of flick, but it never really wants to go beyond that in any way that actually rocks the boat too much. Also, the film isn't exactly consistent with its scares. I don't wanna say the film is all jump scares, but there's a good number of them here, but they also don't do much in the way to build up a sense of dread with the character of the Queen of Spades. So, with that said, they rely way much than they should on old and tired form of scaring people. Like here's the thing, elements of this movie remind me of Mama. The thing about Mama, which I didn't even give a good rating, is the fact that the actual character of the villain was actually very creepy in its design. So they could use her for more atmospheric stuff where you just fear going into a dark room knowing that she could be there. And they could also do jump scares because of that. This movie doesn't have that, mostly because the monster just isn't anything special. It's just a regular-looking woman/monster with a bald head. There's nothing really all that scary about it, so that didn't help matters one bit. There's some cool moments where they tease her appearance, but those are few. And, realistically, you can't get away with that for more than a couple of times. They had to pay it off. And the pay off is certainly disappointing. The third act very much reminds me of The Exorcist in that they try to transfer the demon inside the girl onto something (or someone) else. It's pretty much right out of the Exorcist with the exception that the person who made the sacrifice, here, didn't fall down a flight of steps. The acting is solid all things considered, shame the script is so basic and uninteresting. It is what it is. This isn't a bad movie at all, I don't think I can stress that enough, but it is a pretty bland and, in the long run, uninteresting horror movie that borrows heavily from other sources. I can't recommend it, but you could also do far worse. You can also do far better, so there's that.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Not your ordinary horror story. If you love scary movies, this will be your new favorite. Keeps you on the edge of your seat!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
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