What to expect from a movie from the Netherlands? Well despite the lower budget they have to make movies this one is for sure an enjoyable thriller. I wasn't expecting much of it but was surprised. Well written with good actors. Certainly much better then all the garbage movies they try to push down our throat. I could think about thousand lousier thrillers with a much higher budget so credits to this dutch director. All in all from the three movies my wife and I watched that day this one was for sure the best one. There were twists and turns and it wasn't so predictable like so many horror movies are. If you want a nice thriller on a cozy rainy day then this movie is for you.
9 Reviews
easy to follow Netherhorror
trashgang30 May 2012
Now and then out of the Netherlands comes a horror. They are called Netherhorror and I surely would add this one on that list. The story is easy to follow and even as it doesn't have gore or messy situations it still delivers.
It starts with a young boy following a teenage girl. The girl promises that he may kiss her if he dares to be locked in a mortuary. He agrees, once locked up the girls ran away. We move further a few years with nothing explained. It's up to the viewer to solve the case. If you are a bit cleaver it is easy to follow. Even as we don't go too deep into the characters still you want to know what is going on.
The acting was okay, only Dragan Bakema as Alex Purvis wasn't convincing all the time. All the thespians are known for people living in the Netherlands, but aren't big names. Somehow it reminded me of Caged (2011), another Netherhorror.
Gore 1/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5
It starts with a young boy following a teenage girl. The girl promises that he may kiss her if he dares to be locked in a mortuary. He agrees, once locked up the girls ran away. We move further a few years with nothing explained. It's up to the viewer to solve the case. If you are a bit cleaver it is easy to follow. Even as we don't go too deep into the characters still you want to know what is going on.
The acting was okay, only Dragan Bakema as Alex Purvis wasn't convincing all the time. All the thespians are known for people living in the Netherlands, but aren't big names. Somehow it reminded me of Caged (2011), another Netherhorror.
Gore 1/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5
Claustrofobia review
jonny-gould1317 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Claustrofobia is a thriller film about the desperate extent to which a person will go for revenge on someone who played what is explained as a "practical joke" on him. The film makes sure that you never know what is coming next however, despite a few inconsistencies. When you think you know why everything is in its place, suddenly a twist happens and the viewer is made to rethink their theory, for example the fate of Danny de Koning the detective. The main problem I found with this film is that a lot of the characters' motives are unexplained, or the explanation given does not stand up when subjected to logic. On the whole though, I would recommend this film highly, as it keeps the viewer holding on, wanting to know what happens, and is tense and exciting at some of its best moments. A word of warning however. Don't watch this film if you are expecting a horror movie. There is a lot of blood, but it isn't scary, and I would classify it as a thriller over a horror movie.
Bad acting + bad script = bad movie
Wicky_be5 April 2012
Don't be fooled by the high IMDb rating for this movie as it's just a sorry attempt at a 'thriller'.
All thriller clichés pass the revue, so you're watching with a 'been there seen that' attitude. The 'script' (really, there was a script here ?) is laughable and has so many holes that you wonder at the end of the movie: "really, he did all this but couldn't come up with 1,000,000 easier solutions to avoid this mess ?".
The acting is bad and none of the characters is portrayed in a way that you would sympathise with them.
All of the above results in a movie that's watchable, but not enjoyable.
All thriller clichés pass the revue, so you're watching with a 'been there seen that' attitude. The 'script' (really, there was a script here ?) is laughable and has so many holes that you wonder at the end of the movie: "really, he did all this but couldn't come up with 1,000,000 easier solutions to avoid this mess ?".
The acting is bad and none of the characters is portrayed in a way that you would sympathise with them.
All of the above results in a movie that's watchable, but not enjoyable.
Terrible script, bad acting, quite good cinematography
sander-vanluit9 February 2020
Carolien Spoor is quite a good actress (such as in Black Tulip), but the script is truly terrible and thus does not give her room for good acting. After 40 minutes we all know who the bad guy is, but even after 5 minutes the plot can be predicted, which is full of plotholes.
Sooooo Awful. So Very Awful......
mcjensen-059243 December 2021
This is what happens when nobody involved in a movie seems to care or try very hard. The script seems to be a collaboration from a middle school project that received a failing grade. Canned dialogue delivered unconvincingly. The mad doctor. The cell phone with no signal. All the absurd cliches are present, and never have they been more grating. Carolien Spoor does a lot of what's supposed to be meaningful glares which end up just being silly. She's gorgeous, yes. Very easy to look at her and her body but the script is so bad even her lovely presense is not enough to hold a hint of interest. It's nowhere near the horror genre, and fails at every turn on a thriller level. What little action there is couldn't have been more poorly written and choreographed. In a word, it's just dumb. Two words? Pointless and dumb. That sums it up. The detective was the worst miscast here. Too young fashion model looking bearded hipster. Very unconvincing, yet no dumber than anyone else in the film. Landlord? Um.....he may have been the most decent guy in the film. Thing is the creators gave everybody equlally stupid things to say and do. He was not spared this unfortunately. Carolien's friend, the ditzy drunk, could have imporved her scenes immensely by jumping out any window and falling to the pavement. Cringingly untalented actress. You need to see this for one reason. Everything that constitutes a successful movie is missing here, yet it got made. It takes a special kind of ineptitude to take a wonderful talent such as Carolien Spoor and make her end up looking like a 2nd year acting student. Rotting Garbage. Enjoy.
Dutch suspense
tjjbergh26 August 2011
This movie has been made to be shown only online and is free to watch. The director (Bobby Boermans) had decided to do this, because he felt he could produce his film quicker without all the distribution channels making demands about, for example, the cast. Therefore he decided only to have an online release. A lot of people thought him crazy to do this, as they thought he would miss out the opportunity to show his feature-length debut on the big screen. But it seems his strategy is starting to pay out, as he receives a lot of press because of it, making this a bold but interesting way to promote his movie.
The movie, which runs about 90 minutes, is about a girl named Eva who moves into a new apartment. After a night out she falls asleep on her couch and wakes up in a strange room, bound to the bed. This is the start of a suspense filled movie with an excellent cast.
As the plot unfolds you have no idea why Eva is held captive, making the movie really worthwhile to watch. The soundtrack is great which adds to the quality as well.
The only thing missing, in my point of view, is the fact that you really don't know much about the characters. But as it is a thriller this is just a minor nuisance.
I enjoyed it very much and hope to see much more of this director.
The movie, which runs about 90 minutes, is about a girl named Eva who moves into a new apartment. After a night out she falls asleep on her couch and wakes up in a strange room, bound to the bed. This is the start of a suspense filled movie with an excellent cast.
As the plot unfolds you have no idea why Eva is held captive, making the movie really worthwhile to watch. The soundtrack is great which adds to the quality as well.
The only thing missing, in my point of view, is the fact that you really don't know much about the characters. But as it is a thriller this is just a minor nuisance.
I enjoyed it very much and hope to see much more of this director.
Exceptionally good thriller, worth seeking out!
stsinger10 February 2013
Top-notch Dutch thriller. Story involves Eva, a first-year veterinary student and aspiring actress. Just after moving into a new apartment, she finds herself captured and chained to a cot by a nameless/faceless abductor.
And that's really all you can say about the plot without giving too much away. The story kept me surprised all the way, and I've seen hundreds of thrillers. Every time you think you've settled in and know where it's going, it makes a twist, and every one of them makes perfect sense within the context of the film. The acting (especially from leads Carolien Spoor and Dragan Bakema) is solid and believable and this is an outstanding thriller from beginning to end.
And just to make clear for those who might make assumptions based on my limited synopsis -- although it does involve someone trapped, this is in absolutely no way part of the "Torture Porn" genre (although I hate that name, you all know what I mean). Not in any way, shape or form.
Overall, "Claustrofobia" is a superior thriller and definitely worth seeking out. Apparently, this was originally an on-line film, but it's available on DVD from Amazon with clear, removable subtitles.
And that's really all you can say about the plot without giving too much away. The story kept me surprised all the way, and I've seen hundreds of thrillers. Every time you think you've settled in and know where it's going, it makes a twist, and every one of them makes perfect sense within the context of the film. The acting (especially from leads Carolien Spoor and Dragan Bakema) is solid and believable and this is an outstanding thriller from beginning to end.
And just to make clear for those who might make assumptions based on my limited synopsis -- although it does involve someone trapped, this is in absolutely no way part of the "Torture Porn" genre (although I hate that name, you all know what I mean). Not in any way, shape or form.
Overall, "Claustrofobia" is a superior thriller and definitely worth seeking out. Apparently, this was originally an on-line film, but it's available on DVD from Amazon with clear, removable subtitles.
What a wonderful thriller from the Netherlands
Thrill_KillZ24 April 2012
I am writing this with a bit of an outside perspective being from the US & reading in subtitles, something that I never have a problem with in films from this region due to the very smooth translation it has into English. This film was crafted so expertly all around I cannot find any part of which to criticize negatively. It drew me in & kept me there while I constantly tried to intellectualize what the real story was and I haven't been outsmarted this good as far back as I can remember. It gives you multiple moments where you are saying, Aha, now I know exactly what the meaning of everything is then suddenly it changes to have an entirely different purpose behind the grand scheme of things.
I know I have just written an entire paragraph without any plot or character information given away & that was done purposely to let you the viewer know how well made this entire production was. It starts with a young boy of say 10 playing in a morgue along with a young girl of the same age, he is tricked by the promise of a kiss if he climbed into one of the refrigerated bins they store bodies in and remained in there for ten seconds. Well she walked away & left him locked within with no way to get out. The film then changes to a time many years later with no clues left as to what happened to that young boy. As to the remainder of the story, to sum it up proper, it's kind of like a chicken's egg cracking open to reveal something very unexpected like a dragon. If you enjoy a good tight thriller where you have to keep guessing then you should take a good look, you will be surprised in the cleverness of the writing & direction.
I know I have just written an entire paragraph without any plot or character information given away & that was done purposely to let you the viewer know how well made this entire production was. It starts with a young boy of say 10 playing in a morgue along with a young girl of the same age, he is tricked by the promise of a kiss if he climbed into one of the refrigerated bins they store bodies in and remained in there for ten seconds. Well she walked away & left him locked within with no way to get out. The film then changes to a time many years later with no clues left as to what happened to that young boy. As to the remainder of the story, to sum it up proper, it's kind of like a chicken's egg cracking open to reveal something very unexpected like a dragon. If you enjoy a good tight thriller where you have to keep guessing then you should take a good look, you will be surprised in the cleverness of the writing & direction.
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