The Harbinger (II) (2022) User Reviews

A well crafted horror.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 23 August 2023]

Monique breaks her family's strict Covid rules to visit her struggling friend Mavis. Mavis explains that she's been having vivid and terrifying nightmares, an empathetic Monique tries to help her friend, and it soon becomes a shared experience.

Better than I had expected, it's a well produced film with a pretty good storyline. Maybe Covid was generally a little less nightmarish in general, but it still served as an effective backdrop. Good use of surreal visuals and traditional, historical horror, The Plague Doctor in particular looks great.

It was well paced, I liked the characters, the family setup worked well, I also liked the way the scares were delivered, a few jump scares, but they weren't overdone. Well written, I liked how all of the loose ends tied together.

I thought the acting was very good, I thought Gabby Beans in particular was very good as Monique, her acting helped to elevate the film.

Enjoyable.

7/10.

Almost... A very well done story right up until the last 20 minutes or so...

[lathe-of-heaven · 6/10 · 26 January 2024]

A real shame too... This movie honestly had really grabbed me right up until this certain point towards the end. It was a great story, very well acted, nicely paced, great suspense... and then it's like all the air went right out of it.

This to me is one of probably the most extreme cases where I guess the director/movie makers simply just did not know how to end it. I mean, EVERYTHING was super tight and effective, but then it just took this very odd turn, a very abrupt one, where you could tell the mood was completely different and to me anyway all that excellent tension and suspense that had been well crafted and built up to that point completely disappeared.

I don't know how else to describe it. Seriously... one of the most extreme cases of a movie totally taking a direction I feel completely losing everything it had up to that point. You see movies all the time that really aren't done that well and then if they get kind of stupid you're not really that surprised or disappointed.

But, the quality of the first 3/4 of the film was so well done, that really took me by surprise. I'm no professional movie maker (and I don't play one on television) but, I'm damn sure I could have come up with MANY better ways to end this story. IDK... Maybe they just ran out of time, that is the way it feels.

Again, a real shame since it had such an excellent start.

Can't really fully recommend this one, unless you can be prepared only to enjoy about the first 3/4 of it. Maybe next time the creator of the story will be able to have the time/resources/ideas in order to finish his well crafted story considerably better than this one...

FWIW, I gave it a very generous '6' just due to the excellent quality and premise that was there for most of it.

The Harbinger

[henry8-3 · 6/10 · 16 August 2023]

In a world suffering from something like COVID, Mo played by Gabby Beans takes the risk of visiting her old friend Mavis (Emily Davis) who is suffering various psychological problems claiming various horrors are occurring with her dreams. Soon after arriving, Mo starts having similar dreams where she has difficulty waking up and is pursued by a creature looking like a 17th century plague doctor with a beaked mask and later identified as The Harbinger who can take you and make the memory of your existence fade from everyone's minds.

Intelligent and thoughtful horror feature actually light on blood and jump scares which has a similar tone as The Babadook. It is therefore perhaps troubling rather than really scary, but you really do will Mo, excellently played by Gabby Beans, to find a way out of the dreams and to defeat the Harbinger. It is low budget, but imaginative and their are solid performances throughout and the pandemic setting seems all to frighteningly familiar.

A movie about COVID...

[mckfhnk · 3/10 · 20 January 2023]

I was hoping for a good horror, instead I was presented with a rehash of the COVID pandemic. The movie cinematically looked good, the acting was decent (at least between the two main characters). The storyline was awful. The focus on COVID overshadowed the horror elements of the movie and after living through the pandemic for several years felt like a subject that we are all tired of hearing about. The story failed to explain the origins of the harbinger and didn't do a good job explaining its motivation or the purpose of the dreams. The demonologist felt like a last minute add in to provide some background, but it was poorly executed and a bit "goofy". Bottom line, don't waste your money on this movie, unless you want to watch folks talking about COVID, masking, quarantines and social distancing.

Good

[PedroPires90 · 7/10 · 10 October 2022]

This is a movie that will age like a good wine. Maybe it's too soon for some. The pandemic is still too much on our minds, there are things we prefer not to relive and it brings us anxiety. However, it has much more to say about the memories we leave in the world - or the fear of not leaving them - than just about the pandemic itself (in fact, it parallels those times so well that it didn't need so many direct references, falling a bit in overexposing that and being too much on the nose).

I'm afraid that the number of dreams in the film might turn off some viewers, but this is a film about dreams (or nightmares) and that's where the film lives. Think of Nightmare on Elm Street and think that here the fears that plague us while we rest also kill us. Perhaps because we are/were not really resting.

Many other themes are being explored (trauma, family, friends, support, fake news, isolation, depression...), but more importantly, the film never forgets to be a horror film, with very tense scenes, effective enough to have me clinging to my chair - the last one culminating in a brilliantly effective jump scare. Even when everything looks good, we must not let our guard down, and we must not stop fighting, because it is when we relax that we are most vulnerable. Great acting by Gabby Beans who is going to be a star.

Sadly the movie really bored me

[aronharde · 3/10 · 12 November 2023]

I am not really sure how to rate this movie. I tried to watch it last week but I fell asleep even though I wasn't tired. I thought that the movie was boring up onto that point and that that was the reason. Anyway yesterday I tried watching it again and I fell asleep once again so I watched the rest of the movie this morning and I have to say that I was really bored most of the time.

There's a good movie hidden in there and the basic concept is really interesting but the movie is struggling with pacing issues and a plot that is mostly boring with few standout scenes. It's a metaphor about Covid and what it did to people but honestly I think that this whole thematic is not that relevant anymore and kind of sucked dry.

If a movie with a story like this and some faster pacing would have been released two or three years ago I think it would have worked better. By watching the ratings I see that there are some people who enjoyed this movie, so I am not trying to convince you not to watch it but for me personally it's just didn't work. [3,5/10]

There are scarier things than C0V1D out there.

[zuinao · 6/10 · 7 March 2023]

The movie does an artful job of playing on common C0V1D fears, then goes a little deeper with some fairly creepy nightmare sequences. What could be scarier than a global pandemic, you say? How about a demonic "plague doctor" who thrives on the illness, fear, and isolation of regular folks, and has the power to cancel people like they never existed, carelessly rewriting history on a whim? A "harbinger" of worse things to come? Yikes! Good thing there's no one like that in government, industry, or the media these days. The acting was a little better than expected for a horror movie, and the blending of supernatural elements with fears ripped from the headlines was moderately interesting.

Just another dull film created during covid

[traceytak · 2/10 · 8 August 2023]

Covid wasn't a horror for the majority and this film tries to make lockdown seem like one. The actors do their best with what has become a boring subject and the two points are for their performances alone. But as an entertaining horror, it fails abysmally with all the cliches of a horror that relies solely upon atmosphere with a boring subject. There aren't many actors due to when it was made and rules. 2020-2022 will go down as filmmakers worst efforts for making films and this film is testament to that fact. I honestly cannot think of any film made during the covid period that is excellent. It's as if they continued making drivel throughout that period thinking lockdown would never end and the public would be grateful for anything. Yawn fest.

Finally! A cleverly written low budget horror film!

[deacon_blues-88632 · 7/10 · 15 June 2023]

This film is slow to gain momentum, but it really becomes a compelling story about one third of the way through!

I was so pleasantly surprised by the end of the film! Hats off to all involved!

I've been wading through a steaming pile of cliched horror films for morons over the last few months, and I must admit that at first I thought this would be more of the same.

Imagine my elated surprise when I realized that this film doesn't suck!!!

Although the acting ain't the greatest and the production value is decidedly low, the premise and the story carry it through to genuine authenticity!

What else can I say but, enjoy!

Don't Watch This Movie Based On The Trailer

[Reviewenstein · 1/10 · 30 January 2024]

I'm not saying don't watch it - actually, I will say that, but for different reasons - just be aware that the trailer was deliberately edited to remove any mention of what the movie's actually about: COVID. I guess the distributor knew it was going to drive many viewers away so they cut the world's most dishonest trailer. COVID explicitly dominates every scene in the movie and somehow doesn't show up in the trailer at all.

The pandemic isn't just a backdrop, which is what I had hoped once the movie started, the entire movie is *about* COVID, both the story and the subtext. That's right, it's a movie with a Message, and that message is "it's not about you, wear a mask to protect other people."

It's a little surprising this thing got made, honestly. The script is the author working out their severe COVID anxiety using horror as a none-too-subtle metaphor. Understandable, but not a great viewing experience. It takes the inevitable swipes at anyone who had concerns about lockdown and mask mandates, and, well, there's not much more to it. It's a risk to have your movie take a political position at the best of times, but bearing in mind the recent revelations about the effectiveness of the protective measures we all took, this movie in particular is already especially difficult to watch.

7/10, gave a 10 to boost the rating as it deserves higher

[marthagillespie-37639 · 10/10 · 28 February 2024]

Really well done, psychological horror that plays on real fears, especially those present with Covid. Kinda gothic, made me think of The Yellow Wallpaper. My brother and I both enjoyed it a lot. Acting was great, writing was great, nothing to complain about. Low budget high value horror done great. Loved the main actress, loved the writing for her too. Definitely worth the time and the watch. Really sweet moments full of kindness which was unexpected for a horror. But it's not just a horror is the thing, it's so much more. Everyone in this had so much personality, I look forward to seeing them in more.

Watch, if you want to die from boredome.

[jotka · 1/10 · 23 January 2024]

It should be called "How I survived covid pandemic".

Most of the time peolpe just talk about their feeling, experiences or pandemic. That flick have strange post apocalyptic vibes. People are isolated. They don't have contact with others, even if they have internet. Only one demonologist know how to use Skype. Covid is showed as almost plague. Everybody is acting like it's the end of the world... There is very sick boy, but he isn't at the hospital. But nobody cares.

For that moster is just doctor plague who is sending bad dreams. Till half of the movie we see that moster about three times... And it's not even scary.

It erase memory about the victim, but even that there is still knowledge about him. Another senseless thing.

I must admit, that I stoped watching that movie after about 40 minutes. I got so bored, that I couldn't even focus on the plot.

You could watch that during the cleaning or making the laundry, 'cos you won't miss anything.

Turn a bloody light on!

[wwejournalist · 4/10 · 15 April 2024]

This film had the potential to be quite good.

Blatant Covid subtext aside (because that's what this whole film centres around) the idea of a monster that stalks its prey through dreams and actively erases them from history is a nice take on a standard formula.

It's acted out well (Beans plays her role well, although if I were her I'd choose a more 'Hollywood' surname), the dialogue isn't terrible and at some points can be quite intriguing, but any time there's anything exciting happening... it's filmed in practically total darkness.

There's just no need for it. Even if the scene has to be in a dark location, there's no excuse for having lighting so poor you can't even see what is happening, and that's about 45-50% of this movie.

I've seen people complain about the ending but I quite liked it, so no complaints there, I just wish u could have SEEN more of the film.

Covid and other issues

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 24 March 2023]

No pun intended - up til know this may be the best movie that deals with Corona .. actually the story has far more to offer. It is also about loss, about sanity and whatever is in between ... if there is anything that is. I am surprised I had not heard much about it. The movie is really good and should be watched if possible.

The main characters try to figure out how they can stay safe ... and sane of course. The effects are good and the twists are relly well thought of too. For a low budget movie there is a lot here - and the acting surprised me too. In a positiv manner that is. Did not think they would be so good. Just let this wash over you - no pun intended.

An intriguing and enjoyable topical genre effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 5 December 2022]

Desperate to leave her quarantined life, a woman jumps at the chance to visit a friend away from the safety of her family to help her deal with a series of troubling nightmares, but the longer they stay together the more she realizes her friend is haunted by an entity now targeting her.

This was a rather fun if somewhat problematic genre effort. One of the better elements here is the influx of topical material making for a strong commentary on the current climate. Focusing heavily on the various interactions some have way too many touches to real-life scenarios involving facial protection, social distancing, fear of germs permeating from the outside, and the general sense of loneliness that comes from being away from family and loved ones for extended periods, this part of the film is incredibly touching and rather enjoyable. It's quite intriguing to have this kind of setup that plays quite heavily on these topics while also building up this relationship between the two in this kind of environment which is a great touch with the overall setup present providing a great groundwork for the genre thrills to come later on. That becomes the other enjoyable facet of the film as the series of dreams and nightmares here becomes quite genuinely chilling. Employing a kind of nightmare logic to its scenes as the hypnotic nature of what's happening in concept plays out equally as adeptly as the visuals being created, the eeriness created here is enough to realistically drive the right person over the edge as it does here. Including a huge demonic figure in the shape of a deformed bird-like creature perfectly suited to this kind of environment helps to provide the last half with a solid mystery involving its origins and intentions of it. Sending them off on a quest to discover the truth behind what's happening to them and getting more than they bargained for, is all highly enjoyable and effective to provide quite a lot to like about it. There are some minor issues present but they're not big issues. The main issue here is that the films' topicality might not be the most immersive, which will get too many people involved. Rather than be something light and easy for people to get invested in, this one goes for a heavy-handed approach regarding how the pandemic is affecting people and the various subjects around the concepts at play here which leave this one to be at ease with something that others might not want to be reminded of. There's not a lot to like about the finale at play which is quite familiar and highly unoriginal since it's obvious to see where it's going from the very start. That it never really deviates from this setup and just plunges into that feels quite underwhelming being so predictable, which is what brings this down.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

Very good!

[eli_tza · 9/10 · 19 November 2023]

The movie is much different than any other it the horror genre. I expected another dull movie with exploited theme, but i really enjoyed it. The acting was great. The two main characters are trapped in their dreams, sometimes for days in a row. There are a few plot twists and in some moments you can't even understand if they're in a dream or in the reality. I was very scared till the end. I see that some viewers find the covid theme very annoying but I don't think it was the main theme and it added only a bit to the main story. The end was also unexpected and very well done. I hope they'll make a sequel. I definitely recommend it.