The Manor (I) (2021) User Reviews

An entertaining and traditional horror movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 8 October 2021]

I wasn't sure what I was in for here, as I sat down to watch the 2021 Amazon Original horror movie "The Manor", but it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen was actually sufficient enough to make me sit down and watch it. And I have to admit that the movie's cover/poster was definitely helping to convince me to watch it as well.

And as it turned out then writer and director Axelle Carolyn actually managed to churn out a pretty wholesome story here with "The Manor". The writing is pretty good and the pacing of the movie was equally good. I enjoyed the slow build-up of suspense and not really knowing what was going on until well into the movie. So thumbs up to Axelle Carolyn for that.

Visually then "The Manor" is pretty good. This is not a horror movie that relies heavily on special effects or ghoulish creatures, but there is a great atmosphere permeating the movie. And the environment of the house is really spot on, which adds a level of believability to the movie.

Aside from an interesting storyline, then "The Manor" does have some great acting performances, and especially Barbara Hershey (playing Judith) carried the movie phenomenally well with her performance. And the movie also have the likes of Bruce Davidson on the cast list.

If you enjoy a good old fashioned horror movie, then give "The Manor" a chance. I did, and I was genuinely entertained by what the movie delivered.

My rating of "The Manor" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Welcome to the House of...

[Xstal · 4/10 · 11 October 2021]

... Feeble, Unoriginal, Night-scares! An ageing dancer unintentionally entombs herself in a home for the elderly only to discover some residents are not what they present. Everything you've seen before although the performances are notable and the special effects far from wooden.

As subtle as throwing a church bell into a well

[kuarinofu · 3/10 · 20 October 2021]

If they would put just slightly less effort into it the film would've just been 80 minutes of black screen.

Sorry for being negative. The film consists solely of cliches and themes used a thousand times by now in horror cinema. If you have seen any other horror film besides this one, you can predict not only the ending but almost every scene and every line of dialogue. Every hint, every supposed twist we have already seen before.

The story is just slapped together and the film expects you to buy a lot of things. Nobody really bothered with acting either. The composite shot of an elderly man scaling the wall upside down was hilariously cheesy.

The ending was ok, but since 90% of the film felt like waiting in an elevator, it doesn't matter much. The creature make-up was surprisingly good, so I don't think it was made specifically for this film, seems too costly to such a minimal budget whatever-type of film.

This feels like it was made by someone who has never seen a horror film, but checking the director's bio proved me wrong. So, I guess there were other reasons. Maybe Jason Blum just said, "Come on, I got this script I found in the attic from 1995, let's slap something together in a week and make some easy cash".

If you're planning to see this one, and you have seen horror films before, watch the first 10 minutes and you will build every other scene and the ending in your head.

V Good

[atractiveeyes · 7/10 · 9 October 2021]

This is a very good horror film. It's not that scary but it has a beautiful gothic atmosphere with a few scare jumps. The story is a bit stupid but it's also interesting and beautiful. Lead performance is superb. All in all, it's a decent well made horror.

TV movie that is better than most

[killercharm · 6/10 · 23 October 2021]

Blumhouse presents a TV movie that is better than most. There were even a deft scare or two. A 70 year-old dementia patient doesn't like her new digs at the nursing home. There's something bumping in the night and the cat knows who's next to die. The whole place is appropriately gloomy and the story is delightfully doomy.

I thought it would be at least a 5

[benzed · 4/10 · 9 October 2021]

I thought it would be at least a 5.

If not for Barbara Hershey I would have rated it 2 or 3.

The first 3 minutes were fine.

Soon on I was annoyed and losing interest. A bit more time I had the thought that I was inflicting punishment on myself by continuing.

Watched till the end.

Either Barbara Hershey is out of money or a Producer or a director is a very close relative or someone called in a favor.

Acting was mediocre. The screenplay, directorial influence, cinematography, CGI, and editing destroyed any possibility of the film from getting any good ratings or reviews.

WICKER MAN MAGIC!

[plasmapilot · 8/10 · 8 October 2021]

A spooky look at life in a senior care facility! The "cat scenario" was especially eerie because it's been documented several times based on actual events at nursing homes. At times the darkness made viewing difficult, despite adjusting lighting on my screen. Wait for the surprise conclusion! Barbara Hershey hasn't lost her luster after all this time. Great entertainment for me,despite being a senior!

Blumhouse series best

[johnnyhbtvs27 · 6/10 · 8 October 2021]

Neat little horror film with an ending decision i didn't see coming. A stellar performance from Barbara Hershey (looking great for her age), this is the best of the Blumhouse series of 2021 so far.

I like Barbara Hershey, but this was like a made for tv movie. :I

[midnitepantera · 3/10 · 8 October 2021]

Nothing exciting to see here folks! So if your looking for scary, or good then pass on this.

It may be worth a watch to people who don't like scary horror movies and prefer more of a mystery that's on the bland side of the street.

Okay movie, but the premise

[matthewmillerwriter · 5/10 · 9 October 2021]

I cannot get over the ridiculous fact that a perfectly healthy, vibrant woman, only 70 years old, WANTS to go into a nursing home. That is absurd. Those are horrible places where people go to lose their freedom and die. Who would WANT to do that? It does not fit her character. That alone pissed me off enough to lower my rating.

a bittersweet experience with wasted potential

[jdring2007 · 6/10 · 25 February 2022]

The nursing home horror approach seemed interesting enough and they get to it quickly, but given the 80min runtime that's not too shocking. Despite this, there was very little a tual horror to the movie, except for a few creepy moments and the revelation of the creature at the end. Props to the cosmetic effects and overall design for it, although far from scary. There was a surprise here and there story-wise, but nothing to blow you out of the water. And unfortunately the climax was anticlimactic, ruined by an overlong spile of dialogue and an unexpected ending that felt like a bad joke. Seemingly rushed, too, which made it worse. Acting all around was passable to good, but my main praise goes to Barbara Hershey and her many blatant lines devoid of sugarcoating, which gave her character some personality opposed to most female protagonists in horror movies. I honestly enjoyed the buildup and characters of the first half more than the culmination of the second. A lot of wasted potential.

Good idea, awful execution

[sushicocacola · 1/10 · 8 October 2021]

The concept of the movie is not bad, but the dialogue is cringe from start to finish. The jump scares have no impact. I used fast foward a lot because it was a boring movie.

Flawed premise but go with and you might like it

[mycannonball · 6/10 · 27 December 2021]

It's a flawed premise from the get-go. Barbara Hershey as a 70 year old willingly moving into this nursing home with a roommate who can't really even converse with her because she is much more elderly/disabled doesn't make any sense. The main character moves with ease and is sharp intellectually and cracks jokes, and sorry, there's just no way she'd move into this nursing home. I mean, perhaps the nursing home could HIRE her to work for them?

If you get past the silly premise and just go with it, it's a decent horror film. Standard locked-in style story with a supernatural twist. Cool setting of the manor (even though all those stairs would be unrealistic for elderly people).

Inspired by other films, it is a dark, metaphysical horror movie, well-crafted, and definitely worth a watch for the fans!

[Mivas_Greece · 6/10 · 10 October 2021]

Mystery / metaphysical horror movie. A fairly modern but aged woman, due to some health issues decides to separate from her daughter and grandson and stay in a nursing home. Still, strange things happen there, and among other things she loses all the freedom of her life, and while she still seems to have a clear mind, they try to convince her that she is crazy, that she has dementia, like the other ones. On the one hand she sees strange shadows at night, on the other hand she sees that gradually people in there to be dying one after another. As much as she wants to return home, her family is convinced that she is really suffering from hallucinations and she has dementia and that it is better to stay there. But what is really happening? Has she really started to lose her mind or is there something really dark in the nursing home? A question that she must answer trying to find evidence against time since soon it will be her turn too. Influenced by other films, but interesting and well-rounded, with experienced actors and very good direction, with suspense and mystery throughout and with a dark element in various timepoints. Also, its short duration does not leave room for boredom, while the ending will surprise many people. On the downside, despite the ongoing mystery, it could have been much more intense and may have been extended to have a little more action in the end. It is still worth a watch for fans of the genre.

The Coven

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 23 April 2022]

The seventy-year-old Judith Albright (Barbara Hershey) is a former dancer that gives dance classes to children. When she has a stroke, she decides to leave her daughter and her beloved grandson Josh (Nicholas Alexander) to live in a nursing home and not be a burden to them. Judith shares a room with Annette (Nancy Linehan Charles) and befriends the trio Roland (Bruce Davison), Ruth (Fran Bennett) and Trish (Jill Larson) that invite her to play bridge with them. Along the night, Judith has dreadful nightmares and sees a monster attacking Annette, but nobody - including her daughter - believe her and think she has dementia. She befriends also the nurse Liesel (Ciera Payton) that says that she has also noted something supernatural happening in the Manor, but she vanishes. Now Judith decides to investigate the secret of the Manor.

"The Manor" is an average supernatural film with many veteran actors and actresses. The flawed plot is reasonable and could be better and better, but there are many clichés. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Mansão" ("The Manor")

To the manor, re-born.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 1 January 2022]

Following her work as author of a horror movie book and a brief stint acting in a handful of forgettable flicks including then husband Neil Marshall's disappointing Doomsday and Centurion, Axelle Carolyne made the move to writing and directing her own films. The Manor is a made-for-TV supernatural thriller that shows that Carolyne has considerable potential as a film-maker: the budget mightn't be huge, but this well-crafted mystery possesses a suitably creepy atmosphere and effective visuals that make for a solid little fright feature, while the strong central performance from Barbara Hershey helps to paper over any cracks in the script.

The intriguing set-up sees OAP Judith (Hershey) move into a nursing home (the Manor of the title) following a stroke. Soon after, she begins to witness strange events, including a scary shadowy figure in her room at night. The doctor informs her family that these strange occurrences are all in Judith's mind, the result of the onset of dementia, but Judith is resolute, insisting that she still has all of her faculties; with help from her grandson Josh (Nicholas Alexander), the old woman investigates and uncovers the secret of The Manor.

A traditional spooky horror, the film doesn't rely on fancy special effects or lashings of gore, instead using the gloomy locale and well-drawn characters to conjure up the chills. That said, there is one supernatural character in the film, brilliantly designed but sparingly used, that should keep special effects fans happy (and it doesn't rely on CGI, for a change!). After plenty of sleuthing and mild peril, the mystery is wrapped up with a neat twist and a clever denouement that ensures that Judith need not worry about losing her marbles in the future.

Lame and boring

[LassoGirl6205 · 3/10 · 2 January 2022]

I love Blumhouse movies, but this one misses the mark. It moves very slowly, maybe because it's about old people. Such great actors are wasted on a clunky script with a few cliché jumpscares. I pretty much figured it out 1/4 way through, fell asleep halfway through, and woke up in time for the ending, which was exactly what I figured it would be.

It's alright I do love Barbara Hershey especially in Falling Down

[UniqueParticle · 6/10 · 31 October 2021]

I understand the hate I expected more for Amazon's most wanted horror as of recently. Has some solid horror bits but nothing special, more so makes me nervous to be old and makes me hate the way people get treated. The Manor is a little messy and effed up for people held against their will!

Boring, slow, unoriginal

[costasiero · 3/10 · 8 October 2021]

Firstly the acting is somewhat OK which is why this is a 3 and not a 2...but thats about it.

The directing at points looks like its a romantic film instead of horror/thriller. The constant expected attempts at jump scares are poor and at the end even funny.

Do yourself a favor and skip this.

Interesting thriller of aging

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 7/10 · 1 February 2022]

Well acted and depicting the true horror of the loss of freedom from aging. This is depicted excellently by Barbara Hershey. The film explores the fears of aging and becoming an invisible class of people. The fun element is questioning if there is a supernatural aspect at play. Excellent classic style of a thriller well shaped by all involved.

Can't sleep? Watch this movie

[Draysan-Jennings · 4/10 · 16 October 2021]

What's going on with Blumhouse these days. Other then the recent Halloween films almost everything they put out has been pretty bad. I couldn't get into it this film. It was way too slow for me. I turned it off about 30 minutes in. 4 stars.

Disappointing ending ...

[kel-31636 · 5/10 · 9 October 2021]

We really enjoyed this movie right up until the twist. I found it very disappointing.

Afraid for Mom

[havingseenthemoon · 8/10 · 14 October 2021]

Having just brought my mom home from a brief stay in an SNF after surgery, this hits very close to home. Barbara as the lead is lovely, making mountains of a benign script and hooking us instantly with her F bombs and gorgeous eyes. The relationship with her grandson has a calm, tender, playful energy that draws you easily into an understanding of the part he might play in her, ahem, escape. I easily deduced the hook but I still enjoyed the penultimate ending. Great actors, fun story, especially relevant if you have an elderly parent.

OK, but could have been better.

[TomFarrell63 · 6/10 · 14 January 2023]

Overall I enjoyed this, but a few tweaks could have made it so much better.

I'm not normally bothered about budgets in movies, but I'll make an exception here, as simply put, this looked like a cheap TV movie rather than a proper movie.

Don't know if it was the way it was shot, or what, but it just didn't look great, plus it felt a little rushed, could have done with lengthening a little, a little more back story and character development wouldn't have hurt.

What saved it were the good performances from all, everyone played their part well, and the storyline which was a little bit different from the run of the mill horror.

Recommended for a one off watch.

What a waste of an hour of my life

[Neptune165 · 1/10 · 13 October 2021]

One of the worst films ever. To watch is to believe. Forgettable daytime movie in which nothing happens from start to finish. Please don't waste your time, its a joke in the name of horror. Watched this whole movie. What a waste of time.