Surprisingly top-notch acting from every member of the cast. The four leads are especially good, with surprisingly naturalistic interaction among them. You really feel like you are eavesdropping on real banter among friends and genuine, intimate conversations between the main couple.
It should be noted that this is not a horror movie, so much as a supernatural drama with some subdued elements of suspense. Some have complained that the ending is abrupt or anti-climactic, and I agree that the film ends in a way that is not as strong as the drama that precedes it. On the other hand, the film's conclusion surprised me. It took me a minute to understand what the the script was doing, and ultimately I'm okay with it. I'm being oblique here because I don't want to give anything away.
As many other reviewers have noted, this movie belongs in the folk tradition of the supernatural tale. The curse we hear recited toward the beginning is well-written for that kind of thing, while the concluding monologue on the part of Kim Hunter's character is surprisingly weak by comparison. That said, other parts of the dialogue, as I alluded to above, are either ad libbed and filmed Cassavetes-style or are admirably well-written so as to seem uncontrived and naturalistic. I also like that the protagonist's friends rally around him, and there is no time wasted with the usual tediousness of people not believing him etc etc.
Worth at least one viewing for fans of '70s American supernatural flicks or low budget "horror" in general.
It should be noted that this is not a horror movie, so much as a supernatural drama with some subdued elements of suspense. Some have complained that the ending is abrupt or anti-climactic, and I agree that the film ends in a way that is not as strong as the drama that precedes it. On the other hand, the film's conclusion surprised me. It took me a minute to understand what the the script was doing, and ultimately I'm okay with it. I'm being oblique here because I don't want to give anything away.
As many other reviewers have noted, this movie belongs in the folk tradition of the supernatural tale. The curse we hear recited toward the beginning is well-written for that kind of thing, while the concluding monologue on the part of Kim Hunter's character is surprisingly weak by comparison. That said, other parts of the dialogue, as I alluded to above, are either ad libbed and filmed Cassavetes-style or are admirably well-written so as to seem uncontrived and naturalistic. I also like that the protagonist's friends rally around him, and there is no time wasted with the usual tediousness of people not believing him etc etc.
Worth at least one viewing for fans of '70s American supernatural flicks or low budget "horror" in general.