Matriarch (I) (2018) User Reviews

Scottish reworking of Hammer House Of Horror

[omendata · 6/10 · 25 April 2019]

And it does it not badly for a low budget movie. People seem to forget you should be reviewing the movie on its merits based on the budget and the acting and contrary to other reviewers i thought the two main actors were very good but Julie Hannan made the movie for me, she played the part perfectly.

Its a shame the director, producers, cast members had to fill the first 10 or so reviews with 10/10 shill reviews when all those accounts were created at the same time and have only one review its so transparent and its not needed as the movie is well above your average rubbish horror fare this year.

It does evoke the old Hammer House Of Horror feel and being as it is set in my home country of Scotland it offers something a little bit different. Yes some of the Scottish actors were a bit pants but good for a laugh especially the two "wallopers" in the tent scene.

Overall its better than it should be but its nowhere near more than 6/10 but its also not a 2 or 3 which is very unfair I think when this movie trumps most of the low budgeters that have come out of the USA this year and the UK English horror efforts!

Better than average 6 out of 10 for me!

Pretty good

[yacmusician · 6/10 · 19 April 2019]

I loved the movie, hated the ending. Such a shame because everything else was beautifully executed. The story was simple yet delivered slowly and perfectly. The main characters were very likeable, a little naive but for the most part likeable. The villains were amazing! Creepy, Scottish, religious psychos. Extra points to the mother she was a stand out.

What spoiled it for me was the main character (that survives) God, she was annoying. She showed no intelligence when it came to fighting. It was obvious towards the end she was in a kill or be killed situation yet she was totally useless! Her whole life had been ripped apart from her, her husband killed! I would've loved to get my hands on these guys after going through what she went through. But instead all she did was run, cry, hide and shake. Really annoying to watch! Towards the end I actually hoped she'd die. Stupid characters ruin movies for me. If she didn't annoy me so much I would've given this movie a 9. A real shame!

Wish Something Could be Done about Fake Reviews

[arfdawg-1 · 5/10 · 13 May 2019]

If you read through the review there is just a TON of super great reviews. I generally like to compare the reviews here with Rotten Tomatoes. This film gets a 5.8 there, so not so dissimilar. HOWEVER, I just suspect those great reviews on IMDB are fake.

There is no way this movie is a 9 or 10.

That said, for a low budget flick, it's not a 1 or a 2 either.

The film definitely captures your interest early on, in a creepy sort of way.

It's a slow moving movie, but it was intriguing. Well writen and more than decent directing. The acting was very good too. Most low budget films these days are horrendous in everyway. This writer/director shows promise.

So the movie gets creepier as it goes on and you're not sure where this is heading. But it has interesting touches.

Some reviews said it was like Wolf Creek. Nope. Not in the slightest.

The problem I had witht eh film was that the exposition is very very slow. Other than that, it's a pretty OK film and worth the time investment

Standard Thriller

[billcr12 · 5/10 · 25 April 2019]

A couple driving through remote Scotland break down and are forced to stop at a farm where they encounter a religious husband and wife who welcome them with open arms. The young tenants include a pregnant wife who is immediately suspicious of their hosts. Plenty of bloodshed follows but the story is not a great one with only competent acting from the cast. The Scottish countryside is colorful but in the end the movie is at best a 5/10.

Just goes to show you.....

[Markyajv · 7/10 · 20 April 2019]

A pretty darn good movie can be made on a budget of $45,000. I have seen more cr$#&y films that cost a million or more. Now if this had been an American made film and it was this good I would be really impressed. But there is no imagination in Hollywood. So much so they need to remake amazing foreign films into complete and utter dreck. American film goers aren't as stupid as Hollywood thinks. We can read subtitles.

Really disappointing hostage movie

[mrgoth-2 · 1/10 · 14 January 2020]

Cannot believe how badly written these characters are. These have to be the stupidest people in Scotland. Did not like the characters, the script, just terrible. Someone kidnaps you and you have an opportunity to attack them, just do it, no hesitation and no half-hearted little slap. You are rescuing someone, you don't take time for a hug and cry, you get the hell out. Someone shooting at you, don't just stand in the bullets path. All their choices and decisions were wrong, all their actions poorly executed. Maybe it is from seeing a long string of movies with similarly stupid characters, but I just could not have hated this movie more. Would have rated negative stars for the time this movie sucked out of my life.

it could happen to us all

[ops-52535 · 7/10 · 29 March 2019]

This was like viewing your worst nightmare come through, this is a fictional story, but could might as well have been the story of real happenings. its a film with sheer madness, terrible fright, deep embarasment and deep and profound sorrow, bundled up with ghosts of the past, religous faith , bad cell phone signal coverage, raw violence and rather braindead rednecks from the british countryside. the screams and agony in the most stressfull moments are hard to swallow.

its a low cost film, with a small line of cast, but the outcome of the acting and filmo/editing, makes it worth watching. its not a 10 star movie, and i the grumpy old man thinks that my seven stars a pretty generous. have a lookyourself.

Appreciate the performances and micro-budget, but the film is an underwhelming thriller! [+46%]

[arungeorge13 · 5/10 · 25 April 2019]

'Matriarch' is a survival thriller with a few horror elements. It gives you promises of a crackling thriller with the way things are set up in the first two acts but doesn't deliver on the whole. The screenplay is filled with underwritten characters who make plenty of irrational decisions. Mentioning them would amount to spoilers; therefore, going to refrain from doing so.

A couple (with the wife heavily pregnant) ends up on a ranch where an extremist Christian family resides. If you think 'Matriarch' was gonna go the 'Inside' route, it doesn't. Writer/director Scott Vickers gives us hints of a survival thriller from the get-go. While the script makes the leads (Charlie Blackwood and director Vickers himself) look like perpetually bad decision-makers, it's their honest performances that make the film engaging while it lasts. Julie Hannan, who plays the creepy matriarch, is a scream. But her character's intentions at different points are conflicting, to say the least.

The beauty of the Scottish countryside has been ravishingly captured by cinematographer Paul Riley. It does look 'dangerously beautiful' out there. The film offers very little in terms of surprises, and even the final twist is not something that would blow your mind away. The gore is there, but it isn't completely in-your-face as one might expect. 'Matriarch' definitely isn't 'Macabre' (the Indonesian slasher), although the inspiration is uncanny.

When you consider the fact that this is Vickers' debut and the budget is around $40-50K, this is certainly a not-bad effort. Given a decent budget, he could venture into less-cliched and fresher storylines. If you seem bowled over by 'Matriarch', then you might want to check out 'The Wicker Man', 'Straw Dogs', 'Misery', and 'Eden Lake'; much better films pertaining to the same genre. While you won't forget Hannan's vicious glances, there's not a lot you'd recall from 'Matriarch' long after you've seen it.

P.S - I'm well aware of the lobbying happening in terms of finding genuine negative reviews for this flick 'useful' or not. My opinion is mine, and it stays!

The Miracles of Motherhood

[Foutainoflife · 7/10 · 1 April 2019]

A couple expecting a baby, have a car accident which leaves them stranded on the side of the road. Attempts to call for help are unsuccessful due to their rural surroundings. They decide to walk to the nearest home to ask for help. The folks that live there are religious zealots, awkwardly sinister and will soon have the couple in a fight for their lives and the life of their baby.

Not an unusual plot. I found this to be a decent film. There is a bit of predictability but it is played out well nonetheless. This is marketed as a horror film but it felt more like a thriller to me. It just didn't seem to have enough blood and gore to meet my horror buff needs. Don't go into this thinking you are going to see "Inside" (2007). It just doesn't meet the mark for that sort of horror.

The takeaway is that it has been done before but it is worth a watch. Glad I came across it.

This isn't a low-budget movie, it's a no budget movie!

[Neptune165 · 1/10 · 11 May 2019]

Another creepy family that takes hostage anyone that pass by their location... I'm sick and tired of the same cliche. You tell me they buried this man, he managed to got out find two guys, beat them up took their clothes, phone and knife, to find back his lady for him to die like that? When the old man came soo close to him he didn't even try to do anything he just took the shot. That's where I had to turn this ugly movie off what a horrible movie waste of time totally crap please don't waste your precious time on it

Disturbing. Gripping. A must for fans of true indie.

[GeniusJessie · 8/10 · 10 April 2019]

At a budget of $45,000 you can't get anymore indie than this. Matriarch will trade punches with a lot of multi-million dollar movies and put many to shame.

Matriarch shows a couple's desperate fight to stay alive while trapped in a remote farmhouse inhabited by an evil and sinister family.

Its a slick production, head and shoulders above most low budgets or indeed any micro budget I've ever seen. The acting is superb and highly realistic. And astonishingly there's some 'laugh-out-loud' moments.

Matriarch is not your average bloody horror or a jumpy fright fest, instead it burrows into your psyche with chilling nightmarish scenarios that are often hard to watch. It takes you to places where your mind doesn't want to go and is nothing short of an emotional roller coaster.

There is nothing scarier than being alone and lost in a place you don't know, but being held captive against your will is the stuff of nightmares.

Matriarch is a powerful horror / thriller film which builds on your own fears and plays with them in ways you won't expect. The movie is an original, thrilling and disturbing survival story which delves deep into the horrors of being stranded in a rural hell.

While many independent horror films take influence from elsewhere, Matriarch doesn't fit any particular mould, it finds its own niche on its own soil and runs with it.

Also worth mentioning that this movie was apparently shot for less than Blair Witch Project and in less time. An unbelievable achievement by the filmmakers which leads me to ask: what could they do if they get a decent budget? Ones to watch out for I think.

Matriarch is an impressive, thought-provoking film which leaves you wondering what would happen if you ended up in the same situation.

Quietly shocking

[dolphinds · 6/10 · 27 April 2019]

Quite a good movie. I wasnt sure what to expect but i quite liked it. Nice story, good actors. Quietly shocking and a bit disturbing. Worth the watch.

Opposite Views

[littlebrownclown · 5/10 · 14 April 2019]

My friend was absolutely riveted to this movie from start to finish...while I was shopping on Etsy on my phone. Whenever I looked up, Matriarch just seemed like a relatively typical, but atmospheric, thriller, while my friend literally couldn't tear his eyes away from it to see what I was going to buy. The only interesting part for me was the ghost reveal at the end. My friend was shocked silly, while I was only mildly surprised. I may have missed a lot, but there are some wildly talented artists on Etsy and the movie didn't compare. Even reading the rave reviews afterwards on IMDB didn't move me, while my friend had a few tears in his eyes at the end. As soon as the movie was over, he fell almost immediately asleep in his chair, while I'm sitting here writing a review. I just woke him up to read my review to him and he laughed, so it was sort of worth it.

Mamma Mia!

[frukuk · 1/10 · 9 March 2020]

With such a ridiculously sub-standard script, it's not surprising that the actors can't breathe life into this cinematic corpse (not that they seem to be trying all that hard).

Things happen; there's a bit of a soundtrack to try to stir the emotions; but there's no discernible tension. There isn't a single character worth believing in or caring about.

An absolute waste of everyone's time.

Enjoyable

[lola-03590 · 7/10 · 1 May 2019]

Really enjoyed this film. Very tense. Excellent twists.

Too much plot holes and too bored! Another worst horror film! Avoid at all cost!

[kwenchow · 1/10 · 2 August 2019]

This film start with a pregnant woman "Rachel" and her husband "Matt" driving a car on the road and the road to their destination closed, they detour and have a accident!! They lost their direction to the destination! They ask an old man for help! The old man offer them a temporary shelter until they figure out how to make it through the destination! As turnout, this film is about an old couple stealing babies and kill their parent! Entire film full of plot holes and not scary at all! The old couple inject Matt, when they found out the old couple's intention to steal their baby! Matt pass out and two of the old couple's son take all of Matt's clothes off and bury him! Matt actually completely naked but he still can found a lighter in the coffin to light up the coffin to find a way out! Freaking ridiculous! Where the lighter he hidden? In the butt? Lol! Matt successfully make it out from the coffin and ask for two random guys for help! Two of the guys don't believe him and refuse to help, Matt tie them up and steal their phone then runaway to ask for help by himself! Actually the only reason that make audience to watch this film until the end is want to find out the girl "Faith" keep showing up in the film is a ghost or is a actual human being! Matt found Rachel in the barn and kill the son of the couple and Rachel easily broke her chain and make it out of the place! Later wife of the the old couple shot her husband to death and locked her again! This time she need to dig the brick out to escape from the barn again! Lol! At the end, Rachel have a gunfight with the wife of the old couple! The old woman wounded and Rachel knock her head several times! The police came and the old woman did not die and she try to shoot Rachel again, the old woman eventually kill by the police! And Rachel found out Faith actually is a ghost! Too bored, too much plot holes and not scary at all! Certainly not a good horror film!

Frustrating at times yet still compelling enough to watch

[extremesteamkeys · 6/10 · 30 April 2019]

Matriarch is in many ways typical of the horror/thriller genre crossbreed. It's the type of movie where the main character makes enough stupid mistakes that you get frustrated, yet at least with this film the narrative is interesting enough to keep you entertained.

The plot is fairly straight-forward and some may say predictable although there is enough variation here on the standard cliche narrative of other films of the same ilk that I personally found it quite watchable.

Whilst there are far better movies out there, there are also far worse - and after learning how low the films budget was I feel a little more sympathetic towards it.

Although perhaps more geared to cater for a female audience as a male I still enjoyed this title, and consider it above average.

6* - Good (But Could Be Better)

Seriously???

[africe · 1/10 · 18 September 2019]

This was the dumbest damn movie I've ever wasted my time on. The acting was horrible and the storyline idiotic! If people in trouble were that fn stupid there'd be nobody left on the planet. STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!!!

Fearsome Farm Family

[Pairic · 6/10 · 15 March 2020]

Matriarch (2018): A pregnant woman, Rachel (Charlie Blackwood) and her partner Matt (Scott Vickers) are involved in a car crash on the way to a maternity,hospital. They make their way to a nearby farm where they are given shelter by a strange family, the mother and father being fundamentalist Christians, the sons are distinctly odd, the daughter is mute and reclusive. Rachel realises something is wrong when she recognises the daughter Faith (Briony Monroe) is really a member of a missing family. The couple end up as prisoners. An English version of those murderous hillbilly films, at least this lot aren't cannibals. But people are buried alive, manacled in chains, shot and clubbed. Convincing performance by Blackwood as the prisoner who fights back. Julie Hannan is sweet/mad/crazy as the Matriarch of the farm family with Alan Cuthbert as her homicidal husband. An interesting twist at the end. Making the best of a very low budget Writer/Director/Star Scott Vickers delivers a watchable horror feature. 6/10. On Horror Channel.

One of the worst movie ever!!

[Kanari44 · 1/10 · 31 December 2019]

Horrible movie, don't lose 2 hours of your life for this parody!! Very bad acting, the movie is slow and almost nothing happens, some scenes are so stupid so it feels like it is a parody.... Worst movie I have seen this year!! Best moment of the movie: when the credits are starting and it is finally over!

If you liked Misery you'll love this.

[dianajean1976 · 9/10 · 12 April 2019]

As a mother this film was actually hard to watch at times but that's the thing, I couldn't stop watching it. There's a very harrowing scene with a newborn about 25 mins in but it connects you to the lead character and from that point on you experience every single moment with her. I actually watched the movie again today with my husband - it really stays with you and all my girlfriends have been messaging me to discuss.

It also looks like the movie has gone over some heads judging by some of the the low score reviews. The movie is not your average gory, slasher horror, it's a dark as hell psychological horror with depth. I think many are missing the point - if you liked The Nun - this is not for you!!

The movie definitely has similarities with Misery but It also reminded me of Wolf Creek (a hell of a lot better than Wolf Creek though).

One of the best low budget indies I've seen in a while - if you love a dark indie movies this is for you.

Not bad

[mjsreg · 6/10 · 3 May 2019]

For some reason I just didn't get an emotional connection to this film.

I think one of the reasons was that it didn't have a strong atmosphere. The shots were technically fine, but perhaps a bit more thought in to lighting and using more than standard shots (more like a TV soap opera than a film) would have made all the difference. Not a major thing, but can make the difference between an OK film and a great one.

The acting was mostly good. There were a few ham moments but not too detrimental - and it is a similar situation with the story - there were moments when events didn't make logical (or real) sense and a few obvious continuity errors.

Overall not a bad film and worth watching..

Fake reviews galore, it's OK but far from being great!

[Stevieboy666 · 4/10 · 14 December 2020]

Young couple breakdown in the middle of nowhere. They seek help at a nearby unwelcoming farm, the farmer tells them to go away despite their situation but when he is told that the wife is pregnant he suddenly changes his mind and they are given a bed for the night. It's the old creepy, God fearing family living in a large house in the middle of the sticks set-up, where help for our unfortunate couple is in desperately short supply. Low budget British movie, Steve Vickers wrote, directed and stars in this. He does obviously have talent, acting being the least on this outing (fair play to him though for walking through a field with only mud on his skin!) Overall the acting is OK though I wasn't convinced by some of the Scottish accents. Some of the situations in the film were borderline silly or unbelievable, especially at the end. And in addition to a loony family, a live burial (not well done, it has to be said!) why not throw in an obvious ghost for good measure!? Matriarch was a reasonable time filler, I have seen far worse but it was very predictable and showed up inexperience of the makers, something given time and budget I am sure they will improve upon. Nice Scottish scenery was a plus. There are many high rating reviews on here, take them with a large pinch of salt - this is not the highly impressive movie that they would have you believe.

Straightforward and to the point

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 12 March 2020]

MATRIARCH is a low budget and simplistic British horror film, shot on digital stock with an unknown cast. I had low expectations for it indeed when I saw it playing on the Horror Channel one night, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's not showy or visually impressive, and it's straightforward and to the point, but it keeps the suspense going and plays with the viewer's expectations throughout. Plot-wise, it's a virtual reprise of the French hit FRONTIERS, albeit without the extreme gruesomeness of that movie, alongside many, many similar other movies of the last two decades. Compared to a lot of similar fare coming from these shores, you could do a lot worse.

You have to watch the whole thing

[jldivelbiss · 7/10 · 6 September 2019]

If you want to appreciate this movie, watch the whole thing.

Although spoiler: I will admit, it grinds my gears when a victim runs back into a knowingly dangerous situation only to get killed. I know, it's just a movie, but so not what most rational human beings would do after being buried alive.