Not quite certain of the horror or thriller elements here, but this does take us on a psychological journey with somehing creepy and supernatural underlying the plot of the film. This is a subtle film without much in the way of external scares. This is a slow descent into the psychology of a lonely but sweet girl and how manipulation can come from unlikely sources. Enchanting almost and worth a watch if you enjoy a slow burn film. Nicely produced for the retro feel.
15 Reviews
Forbidden (room)
kosmasp7 August 2017
There is something here. Something that is not fully explored, but there is also hints and nods to classic horror movies. Like haunted house ones or ones with weird unknown old people in the same house the protagonist is in. Or are they really there? Or even better: who are they? Do we get to see that person? Not here, because the aunt who is helped by her niece here, does not like anyone to enter her room. Or do stuff in that large house of hers.
You could re-watch this and probably find things you didn't notice the first time around. Or at least see them in a different light. Then again you may already see a couple of things, especially if you are film savvy, the first time around. As stated above the potential is there, but it's not always fully explored. And I don't just mean tone-wise or in the form of getting rid of shells/clothes to bare something deep skinned. The movie does seem to play it safe in certain areas and yet there is a lot of subtext. There is a lot of things that you can interpret however you see fit ... What will it be?
You could re-watch this and probably find things you didn't notice the first time around. Or at least see them in a different light. Then again you may already see a couple of things, especially if you are film savvy, the first time around. As stated above the potential is there, but it's not always fully explored. And I don't just mean tone-wise or in the form of getting rid of shells/clothes to bare something deep skinned. The movie does seem to play it safe in certain areas and yet there is a lot of subtext. There is a lot of things that you can interpret however you see fit ... What will it be?
Traces of Love
nogodnomasters4 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
During the Age of Reagan, Adele (Erin Wilhelmi) a lonely farm girl wants to leave home. Her prays are answered in almost monkey's paw fashion as she gets to go care for her extremely agoraphobic Aunt Dora (Susan Kellermann), who conjures up images of "Throw Momma from the Train." Aunt Dora stays in her room and communicates mostly by notes. While in town, Adele meets Beth (Quinn Shephard) a free spirited girl who tests Adele and takes her to her limit, i.e. from a protagonist we pity to someone becoming dishonest.
The film trudges along for nearly an hour before something happens worth mentioning. While I understand what takes place, I seemed to have missed the scene that tells me why and how. Without that the film lacks cohesion.
Guide: No swearing or nudity. Brief sex
The film trudges along for nearly an hour before something happens worth mentioning. While I understand what takes place, I seemed to have missed the scene that tells me why and how. Without that the film lacks cohesion.
Guide: No swearing or nudity. Brief sex
Mostly Mood and Little Else
ericritter-0176529 March 2021
Lonely Adele moves in with her agoraphobic aunt to take care of her and get some money for her family and meets a free-spirited peer who leads her down a dark path.
Those uninterested in slow paced character studies would be wise to swipe Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl off their watch list immediately. Even those who enjoy such films might find parts of the journey interesting even when the destination isn't much to write home about. Performances are mostly decent to fairly good and the film is beautifully shot, evoking a 70's/early 80's mood right from the start. There are moments when the film could sit comfortably alongside the likes of Let's Scare Jessica To Death, The Nesting, or even the more recent House of the Devil. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to know how to end in a satisfying fashion and all that great mood and build up feels like it was all for naught.
Those uninterested in slow paced character studies would be wise to swipe Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl off their watch list immediately. Even those who enjoy such films might find parts of the journey interesting even when the destination isn't much to write home about. Performances are mostly decent to fairly good and the film is beautifully shot, evoking a 70's/early 80's mood right from the start. There are moments when the film could sit comfortably alongside the likes of Let's Scare Jessica To Death, The Nesting, or even the more recent House of the Devil. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to know how to end in a satisfying fashion and all that great mood and build up feels like it was all for naught.
Beautiful foundation, so-so execution
kay_rock21 February 2018
This is gorgeously reminiscent of the art-house horror of the 70s, and everything from the camera work to the sound track was just perfect.
Well acted, well-filmed, and well-edited, and definitely worth a watch, but the film consistently made promises it couldn't keep. The ending is rushed, and while the conclusion was semi-satisfying, the path there was ragged. There were great evocative, repetitive images that never even got a nod as far as anything that could give them depth or meaning. And the jump from "here" to "there" was just a little bit TOO art-house, leaving far more questions than were required.
It seems that filmmakers are so afraid of dumbing down plot points that they leave them too abstract in an effort to be more arty or erudite. I think this film could have further explored some of the basic premises without risking its artistic integrity. And the jump to the final setup could definitely used a longer bridge. Instead of being left with the haunted feeling they were trying so hard to evoke, I was left a bit disappointed and hollow. I think it would have been less disappointing if the foundation hadn't been so well done. A bad film is almost easier to watch than a "should have been" film.
This is worth the watch for style alone. Just don't expect as much substance or depth as the opening seems to promise.
Well acted, well-filmed, and well-edited, and definitely worth a watch, but the film consistently made promises it couldn't keep. The ending is rushed, and while the conclusion was semi-satisfying, the path there was ragged. There were great evocative, repetitive images that never even got a nod as far as anything that could give them depth or meaning. And the jump from "here" to "there" was just a little bit TOO art-house, leaving far more questions than were required.
It seems that filmmakers are so afraid of dumbing down plot points that they leave them too abstract in an effort to be more arty or erudite. I think this film could have further explored some of the basic premises without risking its artistic integrity. And the jump to the final setup could definitely used a longer bridge. Instead of being left with the haunted feeling they were trying so hard to evoke, I was left a bit disappointed and hollow. I think it would have been less disappointing if the foundation hadn't been so well done. A bad film is almost easier to watch than a "should have been" film.
This is worth the watch for style alone. Just don't expect as much substance or depth as the opening seems to promise.
Just plain bad
jeffdivinsky16 August 2022
Lay Not Up For Yourselves Treasures Upon Earth...
beorhouse11 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
There are some good themes here, and the photography is well done, the acting is the same. But it's as if the director tried to do a montage of 1970s Horror films with the J.S. Le Fanu 'Carmilla' theme riding high in the plot. Lots of tying up was necessary--and absent--to make this a good film, but as it stands, I can give it a 7 only because of its powerful message. I watched the entire piece, and was intrigued throughout, but the resolution is non- existent, and that is always disappointing in a Ghost Story. My take- away is the Bible verse that is stressed in the story: 'Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.' Throughout the film the character Adele is deceptive with her sweetness and easily swayed by others to do very wrong things, one of which results in the death of her Aunt Dora. Money is stolen, time is stolen, expensive jewelry is stolen and sold, and even lesbianism and heterosexual fornication are given in to by Adele because she has been raised deprived of most things in life and has not had anyone to guide her otherwise. I'd like to see this story done again by a different director. It is unique to Horror films--very much so. Not the same old tired plot of college kids getting lost and murdered in the woods or the grieving or otherwise dysfunctional young married couple driving out to the old house in the wilderness they have just purchased to try and make a new go of things. You've not seen this story before, which is a real plus. But, still you will likely be disappointed notwithstanding. It needed more careful planning, and, again, a tying up of a load of dissonant parts, all of which were good in and of themselves, but none of them creating the necessary gestalt for a great Ghost or Gothic film.
Plot-less flick with a mono-colour look. A good way to waste away 90 minutes.
fedor823 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Do you tolerate style over substance? I don't. I prefer to have both. Why should I settle for just one? Breadcrumbs film-making is not for me. You wanna offer me breadcrumbs? Go stuff them up yer Thanksgiving turkey, don't want them. Because this story doesn't even give you semi-useful hints. It gives you breadcrumbs - and nail-clippings.
Not that this movie oozes with kubrickesque or coenesque buckets of style; far from it. But the movie is modestly stylish, does have a solid mood. What it lacks is a coherent plot. Actually, any plot. It lacks A plot. This is a script-based film? They could have fooled me. This looks almost improvised. Either that, or the script was being re-written ten times during the shooting, which rarely results in a good viewing.
If you know what this nonsense is about, let me know. I am open to all theories, especially dumb ones, because I can only expect dumb theories - considering that this movie is like an empty canvas open to all sorts of random subjective explanations. Doubtlessly fans of this movie enjoyed the film precisely because they injected their own plot into it.
As it is, all we have here is a barely les-bian romantic drama with vague characterization and a bunch of nonsense.
Gotta love the utterly idiotic political dross they threw in: "He (Reagan) is an evil man." Did they set this in the 80s just to be able to spit on Reagan's rock-solid reputation? Only people with zero understanding/knowledge of history can make such a claim. Why not go to the 00s then and give us a "Bush is evil" line? Or wait another year to see how the 2016 election turns out, and then include a "Trump is evil" scene? Even horror films can't do without SJW whining anymore. That kind of propaganda is all over the place, and unfortunately millennials are falling for it because they simply don't know better.
Coming from an evil witch, are we supposed to take this comment as a compliment for Reagan? Or maybe the point was that even an evil moth witch is less evil than Reagan/Bush/Trump? That's why politics has no place in fantasy, or just non-political films in general. Film-makers can stuff their exalted propaganda in the same smelly place where I suggested they stuff their breadcrumbs.
Not that this movie oozes with kubrickesque or coenesque buckets of style; far from it. But the movie is modestly stylish, does have a solid mood. What it lacks is a coherent plot. Actually, any plot. It lacks A plot. This is a script-based film? They could have fooled me. This looks almost improvised. Either that, or the script was being re-written ten times during the shooting, which rarely results in a good viewing.
If you know what this nonsense is about, let me know. I am open to all theories, especially dumb ones, because I can only expect dumb theories - considering that this movie is like an empty canvas open to all sorts of random subjective explanations. Doubtlessly fans of this movie enjoyed the film precisely because they injected their own plot into it.
As it is, all we have here is a barely les-bian romantic drama with vague characterization and a bunch of nonsense.
Gotta love the utterly idiotic political dross they threw in: "He (Reagan) is an evil man." Did they set this in the 80s just to be able to spit on Reagan's rock-solid reputation? Only people with zero understanding/knowledge of history can make such a claim. Why not go to the 00s then and give us a "Bush is evil" line? Or wait another year to see how the 2016 election turns out, and then include a "Trump is evil" scene? Even horror films can't do without SJW whining anymore. That kind of propaganda is all over the place, and unfortunately millennials are falling for it because they simply don't know better.
Coming from an evil witch, are we supposed to take this comment as a compliment for Reagan? Or maybe the point was that even an evil moth witch is less evil than Reagan/Bush/Trump? That's why politics has no place in fantasy, or just non-political films in general. Film-makers can stuff their exalted propaganda in the same smelly place where I suggested they stuff their breadcrumbs.
I gave it 3 stars
eventlaunch21 November 2020
slowly cooked and effectively well done - a haunting movie
blacklagooncreature-4203625 July 2017
This movie is hard to analyze because there is more than meets the eye, there is a constant horror and evil heavily breathing underground just expecting to come out at any moment and you can get the hints during the film. I liked the story as it comes, from the beginning you sense that something bad is going to happen and you get intrigued by that. The atmosphere, photography , and performances nothing bad to say, on the contrary is what gives an extra point to this film and somehow compensates the lack of rhythm because it can get a little bit slow at some points of the film but nothing to worry, at the end everything comes together. Not a movie for everybody, it is all about preferences ( I'm not trying to intimidate or discriminate anyone) and Sweet Sweet Lonely Girl has more intrigue that horror...DISTURBING is the accurate word for this movie. Do not expect typical scare-jump or monsters hiding beneath the bed, this film will leave a mark on you and keep you thinking about the end with as bitter taste in your mouth
A fairly 7 and enjoy!
A fairly 7 and enjoy!
A slow burn Gothic ghost story
sfairgrieve-908-8725092 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I love a slow burn Gothic ghost story, and this is one of the more impressive ones I've seen lately. Director/writer AD Calvo did a nice job of setting the tone and atmosphere, which is essential for this kind of story. The cinematography is flowing and immersive, and you get so many little images that set the mood - the dark old house, the fall New England setting, the creepy figurines, lots of moths, and you hear crows in the background almost constantly. All of this is set in 1980, and they nailed the era, from the music to the Quaaludes to the fashion (dolphin shorts and knee socks!). This is a filmmaker with attention to small details.
There is one scene where Adele and Beth are doing chalk rubbings on grave stones - an obvious homage to 1971's "Let's Scare Jessica to Death", which was undoubtedly an influence on this movie. As in "Jessica", we have a fragile young woman who is either being assaulted by supernatural forces, or is becoming emotionally unhinged (or some combination thereof). As in all good ghost stories, this movie is short on answers and leaves a lot open to interpretation. It's possible that everything that happened in the last act can be blamed on the Quaaludes.
I read some reviews where people were really confused by the ending. A lot is left open, but I think you can piece much of it together. Here's my take:
Closing credits rolled on a picture of young Dora and Beth. It's clear, then, that Beth is a ghost of someone from Dora's youth. Something traumatic happened to Dora to make her such a recluse, and maybe it was the death of this friend (lover?). Beth involves herself in Adele's life to tempt/test her. At one point we're shown a bible verse about forsaking earthly treasures. All the little things that Adele does to provide money for herself are harmful in some way to Dora, much of it at the urging of Beth. What ultimately kills Dora is the substitution of the cheap over the counter "heart medicine" for the expensive prescription (with Adele pocketing the difference in cost to buy herself new clothes).
When Adele completely gives in to temptation, Beth becomes the avenging demon, scaring her to the point that she becomes a reclusive basket case like her aunt. Fast forward to the final scene - 15 to 20 year in the future. You now have Adele occupying Dora's room, and her much younger sister is now taking care of her. (Adele's mom is pregnant at the beginning, and she said she was going to name the child Dorrie. Dorrie is the young girl who knocks on the bedroom door at the end.)
There is one scene where Adele and Beth are doing chalk rubbings on grave stones - an obvious homage to 1971's "Let's Scare Jessica to Death", which was undoubtedly an influence on this movie. As in "Jessica", we have a fragile young woman who is either being assaulted by supernatural forces, or is becoming emotionally unhinged (or some combination thereof). As in all good ghost stories, this movie is short on answers and leaves a lot open to interpretation. It's possible that everything that happened in the last act can be blamed on the Quaaludes.
I read some reviews where people were really confused by the ending. A lot is left open, but I think you can piece much of it together. Here's my take:
Closing credits rolled on a picture of young Dora and Beth. It's clear, then, that Beth is a ghost of someone from Dora's youth. Something traumatic happened to Dora to make her such a recluse, and maybe it was the death of this friend (lover?). Beth involves herself in Adele's life to tempt/test her. At one point we're shown a bible verse about forsaking earthly treasures. All the little things that Adele does to provide money for herself are harmful in some way to Dora, much of it at the urging of Beth. What ultimately kills Dora is the substitution of the cheap over the counter "heart medicine" for the expensive prescription (with Adele pocketing the difference in cost to buy herself new clothes).
When Adele completely gives in to temptation, Beth becomes the avenging demon, scaring her to the point that she becomes a reclusive basket case like her aunt. Fast forward to the final scene - 15 to 20 year in the future. You now have Adele occupying Dora's room, and her much younger sister is now taking care of her. (Adele's mom is pregnant at the beginning, and she said she was going to name the child Dorrie. Dorrie is the young girl who knocks on the bedroom door at the end.)
"Need to contaminate, to alleviate this loneliness, I now know the depths I reach are limitless."
morrison-dylan-fan19 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
When checking for comments about the original/exclusive titles on Shudder,I was intrigued to see this title be compared to the works of film maker Jean Rollin,leading to me putting it on my watch list. Going down the list of titles on the site,I accidentally clicked play (!),leading to me finally meeting this lonely girl.
View on the film:
Leaving dinner outside Aunt Dora's room each night to the lone sound of a creaking rocking chair, writer/director A.D. Calvo & cinematographer Ryan Earl Parker house Adele in a isolating, eerie slow-burn Horror atmosphere of long, refined wide-shots held at the back of each room,holding on Adele silently cleaning up round the house.
Keying in on the sweet, lonely state of Adele, Calvo completely drains bright colours out of her life, with outdoors scenes touching on Mumblecore with a fading blue appearance, and the household being a dry green,making the final twist being a sharp, abrasive Gothic Horror shock.
Unlocking the secrets of the house, the screenplay by Calvo unveils the gradually building Horror with a excellent, thoughtful character study of Adele, whose compassionate side she shows when caring for Dora, is pinned by a engulfing loneliness which grips her entire life.
Breaking the silence of Adele's life with the arrival of Beth, Calvo subtly holds the relationship at a distance level,where all the love Adele places in the relationship as she strays from caring for Dora, blinds Adele from the Gothic Horror ringing out as a growing element in her life.
Turning Adele's life into a whirlwind romance,Quinn Shephard gives a hypnotic turn as Beth, whose seductive edge she displays to Adele is wonderfully used by Shephard to bring in the icy Gothic final twist. Spending a large part of the 72 minute runtime, (this is excluding credits) on her own in a house,Erin Wilhelmi gives a haunting performance,capturing in her washed-out facial expressions and the withdrawn body language of Adele being a sweet, sweet lonely girl.
View on the film:
Leaving dinner outside Aunt Dora's room each night to the lone sound of a creaking rocking chair, writer/director A.D. Calvo & cinematographer Ryan Earl Parker house Adele in a isolating, eerie slow-burn Horror atmosphere of long, refined wide-shots held at the back of each room,holding on Adele silently cleaning up round the house.
Keying in on the sweet, lonely state of Adele, Calvo completely drains bright colours out of her life, with outdoors scenes touching on Mumblecore with a fading blue appearance, and the household being a dry green,making the final twist being a sharp, abrasive Gothic Horror shock.
Unlocking the secrets of the house, the screenplay by Calvo unveils the gradually building Horror with a excellent, thoughtful character study of Adele, whose compassionate side she shows when caring for Dora, is pinned by a engulfing loneliness which grips her entire life.
Breaking the silence of Adele's life with the arrival of Beth, Calvo subtly holds the relationship at a distance level,where all the love Adele places in the relationship as she strays from caring for Dora, blinds Adele from the Gothic Horror ringing out as a growing element in her life.
Turning Adele's life into a whirlwind romance,Quinn Shephard gives a hypnotic turn as Beth, whose seductive edge she displays to Adele is wonderfully used by Shephard to bring in the icy Gothic final twist. Spending a large part of the 72 minute runtime, (this is excluding credits) on her own in a house,Erin Wilhelmi gives a haunting performance,capturing in her washed-out facial expressions and the withdrawn body language of Adele being a sweet, sweet lonely girl.
Sweet, sweet
BandSAboutMovies17 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Adele (Erin Wilhelmi) is the girl of the title, a lonely teenager caring for her agoraphobic aunt Dora (Susan Kellerman, who played Latka's mom on Taxi), a woman who won't even leave her room and only leaves messages slid under her door. However, Adele's life changes when she meets her exact opposite, Beth (Quinn Shephard), whose behaviors and mannerisms she begins to absorb.
The problem is that Beth convinced Adele to slowly begin buying cheaper versions of her food and eventually her heart medicine, which kills her. Adele takes her green ring and calls for an ambulance. She's sure that Beth loves her after a moment of brief passion, so she leaves the jewlery for her, but it isn't taken. Despondent, she starts selling all of her aunt's belongings and frequenting bars, followed by Beth, who of course is in no way what she appears.
Obviously, this movie's poster is based on The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane and this aims for the same 70s feel. Throw in a flipflopped Vestron logo in the beginning and the mood of films we adore from that era - Brownrigg, Let's Scare Jessica to Death - and this is what I want more of in today's horror: an understanding of what has worked and a build toward something new. Sure, the end is a bit abrupt and you can see it coming, but director and writer A. D. Calvo is someone more than worth watching. The lookbook for his next film, Here Comes the Night, proves that he's absolutely on the right wavelength and I can't wait.
The problem is that Beth convinced Adele to slowly begin buying cheaper versions of her food and eventually her heart medicine, which kills her. Adele takes her green ring and calls for an ambulance. She's sure that Beth loves her after a moment of brief passion, so she leaves the jewlery for her, but it isn't taken. Despondent, she starts selling all of her aunt's belongings and frequenting bars, followed by Beth, who of course is in no way what she appears.
Obviously, this movie's poster is based on The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane and this aims for the same 70s feel. Throw in a flipflopped Vestron logo in the beginning and the mood of films we adore from that era - Brownrigg, Let's Scare Jessica to Death - and this is what I want more of in today's horror: an understanding of what has worked and a build toward something new. Sure, the end is a bit abrupt and you can see it coming, but director and writer A. D. Calvo is someone more than worth watching. The lookbook for his next film, Here Comes the Night, proves that he's absolutely on the right wavelength and I can't wait.
WTF in an awesome way!
juanmuscle6 July 2018
I can't really comment on this movie, let alone give my review, because I don't know wtf I just saw, all I know it was really darkling loveliness, very much so , totally well written even though I have no idea wtf... lol, I can definitely say one thing, A.D. Calvo, this is his last film on his list of films but my first of his to see, I came here cause of the terrific! thespian Quinn Shephard; fell in love with the sweetness of an angel named Erin Wilhelmi in all her creepy lovely melancholic adorableness - just have to see it to actually believe this ending, what a ride, hella awesomely weird - I mean H.P. Lovecraft can't compose something this awfully creepy! But yet so cute all at the same time!
Super Scary
twelve-house-books18 August 2019
This atmospheric gem is comparable to the same-year film The Caretaker. Both are great bookends for scary-old-lady films made famous at first by Bette Davis. Creepy, artsy, with some sexual scenes but no nudity. No ghosts either.
See also
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