*Warning - Spoilers below*
Great Premise, but the movie needed more runtime. It felt like there were two stories being told, one for Larissa and one for Isabelle..
Many reviewers were not kind to this film, but I found it a decent thriller.
I don't think the film was meant to be jump-out-of-your-chair scary. I believe it was meant to have that eerie, goosebumps, supernatural thriller flavor.
Anyway...onto my opinion of the film take it or leave it....
Matt and Larissa move to a new town and purchase a gorgeous home next door to some creepy neighbors. Larissa suffers a tragic loss and the film explores her struggle with the anguish and mental fatigue of coping and trying to resume a normal life again. Her spirit is weak and vulnerable to the attack she doesn't realize is coming for her.
Isabelle (Zoe Belkin) was born paralyzed and mute and was abused by her father and forced to participate in satanic rituals and later, according to her devil-worshiping father, was 'given over to the dark lord'. It made me feel bad for Isabelle since she was not a willing participant in any of it. She's a prisoner in her own body. She's unable to move, or at least not well, and is also mute. She just watches the world go by and cannot convey her thoughts, nor act on her own behalf. She sits in a room watching the world pass her by until she sees Larissa and Matt move in next door. Larissa has the life Isabelle has always dreamed of and she wants it. Belkin does an amazing job at conveying what Isabelle is feeling with only a facial expression. Some reviewers seem to feel that Isabelle is channeling an evil entity that wants Larissa, but I think that she is just using that dark energy to get what she wants because she can.
Isabelle's mother, Ann, has a room full of candles and religious items seemingly to makeup for Isabelle's father's transgressions. She's a very odd lady and does not speak much and seems to be wrought with guilt over her daughter.
While checking the mail, Larissa doubles over in pain and begins to bleed and holds out her phone to Ann to dial 911. (Apparently, she can hold out the phone at arms length but cannot dial it. Do people really have to be told they need to call 911 by the victim? I hate that in movies!)
At the hospital, the nurse tells Matt that, Larissa was clinically dead for 60 seconds and the entire movie is based on her experience in that minute in the 'afterlife'.
Larissa's baby doesn't make it and she's deeply depressed and begins to hear a baby crying. She begins to see Isabelle invading her space accompanied by a foul odor. Matt cannot see the spirit or smell it and begins to feel that Larissa is losing her mind. I think Amanda Crew did a great job portraying Larissa's fragile mental state and her spiral into depression and despair amplified by Isabelle's tormenting.
One night, while Matt and Larissa are sleeping, Isabelle appears hovering over their bed. Larissa wakes up and smells the odor which Matt cannot and tells Matt to check the alarm. Meanwhile, we see Isabelle in the closet caressing Larissa's wedding dress which is our first clue as to Isabelle's endgame.
The next day, Larissa sees Isabelle wearing her wedding dress and looking in the mirror which shows that Isabelle wants more than just the dress. Isabelle turns around and gives Larissa a sinister gaze and growls "Get out of MY life!" Larissa fires a gun and the wedding dress falls to the floor empty. Matt finds Larissa on the floor with the wedding dress and Larissa laments about how her mother thought she was a bad person and begs Matt not to divorce her. Nothing was mentioned of the dress nor what transpired which seemed odd. Matt kisses her and they make love. Isabelle watches with focus, envy and determination.
In the middle of the night, Larissa gets out of bed to go to the bathroom. This scene is punctuated by a shot of Larissa's hand and Matt's hand with fingers intertwined. Larissa slowly separates her hand from his and gets out of bed. This will be noteworthy later. Larissa comes back from the bathroom and finds Isabelle lying in her place next to Matt and smiling wickedly as though to say "I belong here, not you." and Larissa starts screaming. Matt wakes up and of course doesn't see what Larissa is screaming about.
Matt visits Pedro, a spiritualist, who warns Matt that Larissa is in a state of mind where she doesn't value her own life and that the spirit that is haunting her is angry and will take it from her if she can, exchanging Larissa's life for hers. He warns that Larissa must be strong and the will to live is everything. We already know from Larissa's suicide attempts that her will to live is weak and that Isabelle's is very strong. He also explains that because Larissa has bee 'through the gate that separates life from death' that she can see spirits as clearly as he and Matt can see each other. He explains that he will see Isabelle when she's ready to take Larissa's place or already has.
Matt comes home to find Larissa passed out from taking too many pills and makes her puke them up. Larissa tells Matt that Isabelle has been staring at her from the window. Matt and then goes next door to prove that there is no one there. No one is home so he creeps around and finds Isabelle's room. He finds Isabelle's body and calls the cops.
The police arrive and Larissa seems distant and is sitting on the bed. Matt tells her that he's going to talk to the police. She just blankly stares and turns her head as Matt goes down to talk to the police. It's as though her body were vacant. We never see Isabelle actually takeover, nor do we know if Larissa left her body or if Isabelle forced her out, but in either case it seems that this is the point where Isabelle succeeds in taking Larissa's place.
The next scene, to me anyway, is the best in the film. It has an eerie, sinister, supernatural vibe with the perfect musical score. When Matt returns, Larissa's eyes have a red glow as Matt climbs into bed. Here the background music really sets the mood and is absolutely perfect for the scene. As Matt puts his hand on his wife's body, and as soon as he speaks his wife's name and tells her it's over and everything will be okay, we see blue 'veins' move across Larissa's face an neck and then, Larissa morphs into Isabelle. I'm not sure if Matt has to accept Isabelle as his wife to complete her takeover of Larissa's body or not, but the timing seemed purposeful. Her hand, now adorned with Larissa's wedding rings, moves on top of his and their fingers intertwine. It's the exact same shot as earlier except in reverse as though to illustrate Larissa letting go and Isabelle taking hold. Isabelle moves their intertwined hands under the covers. Isabelle smiles a wickedly triumphant smile as she prepares to consummate her new marriage with her new body.
Next we see Larissa in Isabelle's wheelchair unable to move or speak. (Larissa is still wearing her wedding ring which I would have gotten rid of for the scene. I would have also dressed Larissa in the same thing Isabelle wore to further illustrate their lives had been exchanged and her marriage was now Isabelle's.) Isabelle now has what she desired; Larissa's healthy body and everything that goes with it. Isabelle knows that Larissa is now on the outside looking in from across the street and thoroughly enjoys making love to Matt while Larissa watches. I wish the lighting was a little brighter for this scene, but it's enough to show both Matt and Isabelle enjoying intense pleasure with their positioning such that Larissa can see both of their faces. They should have gotten at least as much screen time as Larissa's muffled screams, but the 3 seconds is enough to get the point across.
Isabelle had watched Larissa and Matt make love and envied Larissa and coveted what she had and now, it was hers. Matt gets up and Isabelle is glaring out the window with a look of sinister satisfaction. She can clearly see the tortured Larissa sitting in her old room with a look of terror as Isabelle stands in Larissa's place. Matt comes out of the bathroom and when he sees Larissa sitting in the window he realizes that it's Isabelle there with him, but I'm not sure he realizes that he'd made love to Isabelle and not his wife. It's a bit confusing. Isabelle attacks Matt and says "It's too late". Next she's downstairs in her old clothes throwing Matt around saying "You can't save her" Since Isabelle goes from wearing Larissa's clothes to her own it's confusing as to weather she actually took over Larissa's physical body or if Isabelle's spirit took physical form and replaced her in bed. It was never really explained that well.
Personally, I like a darker-themed film in the supernatural thriller genre. I think that Isabelle should have occupied Larissa's body for a lot longer. Larissa should have been made to watch more of her life being taken over by Isabelle and Matt should have gone longer before he realized that Isabelle had taken over Larissa's body. A larger struggle to reclaim Larissa would have been more thrilling, at least that's my opinion.
As with nearly every film of this type, the dark forces do not prevail, but sometimes I like a darker ending. What a wonderful twist ending it would have been to see Isabelle getting out of the car with the baby at the end and looking up with a smile as Larissa looks down from Isabelle's bedroom window as Isabelle goes inside the house with Matt and her new baby. Isabelle could have easily entered Larissa's body in that one minute and once she was inside and Larissa's spirit would have been drawn into Isabelle's body.
I would love to find a copy of the screenplay and read it for myself.
Great Premise, but the movie needed more runtime. It felt like there were two stories being told, one for Larissa and one for Isabelle..
Many reviewers were not kind to this film, but I found it a decent thriller.
I don't think the film was meant to be jump-out-of-your-chair scary. I believe it was meant to have that eerie, goosebumps, supernatural thriller flavor.
Anyway...onto my opinion of the film take it or leave it....
Matt and Larissa move to a new town and purchase a gorgeous home next door to some creepy neighbors. Larissa suffers a tragic loss and the film explores her struggle with the anguish and mental fatigue of coping and trying to resume a normal life again. Her spirit is weak and vulnerable to the attack she doesn't realize is coming for her.
Isabelle (Zoe Belkin) was born paralyzed and mute and was abused by her father and forced to participate in satanic rituals and later, according to her devil-worshiping father, was 'given over to the dark lord'. It made me feel bad for Isabelle since she was not a willing participant in any of it. She's a prisoner in her own body. She's unable to move, or at least not well, and is also mute. She just watches the world go by and cannot convey her thoughts, nor act on her own behalf. She sits in a room watching the world pass her by until she sees Larissa and Matt move in next door. Larissa has the life Isabelle has always dreamed of and she wants it. Belkin does an amazing job at conveying what Isabelle is feeling with only a facial expression. Some reviewers seem to feel that Isabelle is channeling an evil entity that wants Larissa, but I think that she is just using that dark energy to get what she wants because she can.
Isabelle's mother, Ann, has a room full of candles and religious items seemingly to makeup for Isabelle's father's transgressions. She's a very odd lady and does not speak much and seems to be wrought with guilt over her daughter.
While checking the mail, Larissa doubles over in pain and begins to bleed and holds out her phone to Ann to dial 911. (Apparently, she can hold out the phone at arms length but cannot dial it. Do people really have to be told they need to call 911 by the victim? I hate that in movies!)
At the hospital, the nurse tells Matt that, Larissa was clinically dead for 60 seconds and the entire movie is based on her experience in that minute in the 'afterlife'.
Larissa's baby doesn't make it and she's deeply depressed and begins to hear a baby crying. She begins to see Isabelle invading her space accompanied by a foul odor. Matt cannot see the spirit or smell it and begins to feel that Larissa is losing her mind. I think Amanda Crew did a great job portraying Larissa's fragile mental state and her spiral into depression and despair amplified by Isabelle's tormenting.
One night, while Matt and Larissa are sleeping, Isabelle appears hovering over their bed. Larissa wakes up and smells the odor which Matt cannot and tells Matt to check the alarm. Meanwhile, we see Isabelle in the closet caressing Larissa's wedding dress which is our first clue as to Isabelle's endgame.
The next day, Larissa sees Isabelle wearing her wedding dress and looking in the mirror which shows that Isabelle wants more than just the dress. Isabelle turns around and gives Larissa a sinister gaze and growls "Get out of MY life!" Larissa fires a gun and the wedding dress falls to the floor empty. Matt finds Larissa on the floor with the wedding dress and Larissa laments about how her mother thought she was a bad person and begs Matt not to divorce her. Nothing was mentioned of the dress nor what transpired which seemed odd. Matt kisses her and they make love. Isabelle watches with focus, envy and determination.
In the middle of the night, Larissa gets out of bed to go to the bathroom. This scene is punctuated by a shot of Larissa's hand and Matt's hand with fingers intertwined. Larissa slowly separates her hand from his and gets out of bed. This will be noteworthy later. Larissa comes back from the bathroom and finds Isabelle lying in her place next to Matt and smiling wickedly as though to say "I belong here, not you." and Larissa starts screaming. Matt wakes up and of course doesn't see what Larissa is screaming about.
Matt visits Pedro, a spiritualist, who warns Matt that Larissa is in a state of mind where she doesn't value her own life and that the spirit that is haunting her is angry and will take it from her if she can, exchanging Larissa's life for hers. He warns that Larissa must be strong and the will to live is everything. We already know from Larissa's suicide attempts that her will to live is weak and that Isabelle's is very strong. He also explains that because Larissa has bee 'through the gate that separates life from death' that she can see spirits as clearly as he and Matt can see each other. He explains that he will see Isabelle when she's ready to take Larissa's place or already has.
Matt comes home to find Larissa passed out from taking too many pills and makes her puke them up. Larissa tells Matt that Isabelle has been staring at her from the window. Matt and then goes next door to prove that there is no one there. No one is home so he creeps around and finds Isabelle's room. He finds Isabelle's body and calls the cops.
The police arrive and Larissa seems distant and is sitting on the bed. Matt tells her that he's going to talk to the police. She just blankly stares and turns her head as Matt goes down to talk to the police. It's as though her body were vacant. We never see Isabelle actually takeover, nor do we know if Larissa left her body or if Isabelle forced her out, but in either case it seems that this is the point where Isabelle succeeds in taking Larissa's place.
The next scene, to me anyway, is the best in the film. It has an eerie, sinister, supernatural vibe with the perfect musical score. When Matt returns, Larissa's eyes have a red glow as Matt climbs into bed. Here the background music really sets the mood and is absolutely perfect for the scene. As Matt puts his hand on his wife's body, and as soon as he speaks his wife's name and tells her it's over and everything will be okay, we see blue 'veins' move across Larissa's face an neck and then, Larissa morphs into Isabelle. I'm not sure if Matt has to accept Isabelle as his wife to complete her takeover of Larissa's body or not, but the timing seemed purposeful. Her hand, now adorned with Larissa's wedding rings, moves on top of his and their fingers intertwine. It's the exact same shot as earlier except in reverse as though to illustrate Larissa letting go and Isabelle taking hold. Isabelle moves their intertwined hands under the covers. Isabelle smiles a wickedly triumphant smile as she prepares to consummate her new marriage with her new body.
Next we see Larissa in Isabelle's wheelchair unable to move or speak. (Larissa is still wearing her wedding ring which I would have gotten rid of for the scene. I would have also dressed Larissa in the same thing Isabelle wore to further illustrate their lives had been exchanged and her marriage was now Isabelle's.) Isabelle now has what she desired; Larissa's healthy body and everything that goes with it. Isabelle knows that Larissa is now on the outside looking in from across the street and thoroughly enjoys making love to Matt while Larissa watches. I wish the lighting was a little brighter for this scene, but it's enough to show both Matt and Isabelle enjoying intense pleasure with their positioning such that Larissa can see both of their faces. They should have gotten at least as much screen time as Larissa's muffled screams, but the 3 seconds is enough to get the point across.
Isabelle had watched Larissa and Matt make love and envied Larissa and coveted what she had and now, it was hers. Matt gets up and Isabelle is glaring out the window with a look of sinister satisfaction. She can clearly see the tortured Larissa sitting in her old room with a look of terror as Isabelle stands in Larissa's place. Matt comes out of the bathroom and when he sees Larissa sitting in the window he realizes that it's Isabelle there with him, but I'm not sure he realizes that he'd made love to Isabelle and not his wife. It's a bit confusing. Isabelle attacks Matt and says "It's too late". Next she's downstairs in her old clothes throwing Matt around saying "You can't save her" Since Isabelle goes from wearing Larissa's clothes to her own it's confusing as to weather she actually took over Larissa's physical body or if Isabelle's spirit took physical form and replaced her in bed. It was never really explained that well.
Personally, I like a darker-themed film in the supernatural thriller genre. I think that Isabelle should have occupied Larissa's body for a lot longer. Larissa should have been made to watch more of her life being taken over by Isabelle and Matt should have gone longer before he realized that Isabelle had taken over Larissa's body. A larger struggle to reclaim Larissa would have been more thrilling, at least that's my opinion.
As with nearly every film of this type, the dark forces do not prevail, but sometimes I like a darker ending. What a wonderful twist ending it would have been to see Isabelle getting out of the car with the baby at the end and looking up with a smile as Larissa looks down from Isabelle's bedroom window as Isabelle goes inside the house with Matt and her new baby. Isabelle could have easily entered Larissa's body in that one minute and once she was inside and Larissa's spirit would have been drawn into Isabelle's body.
I would love to find a copy of the screenplay and read it for myself.