Psychomanteum (2018) User Reviews

Highly overrated

[Sternlight · 3/10 · 23 August 2018]

Trite, obvious, and overblown, with episodes that often seen unfinished drafts accompanied by irrelevant insect closeups. High ratings either a joke or scam. Might frighten a 5-year old.

Bloody Awful

[daniel-02147 · 3/10 · 13 September 2018]

Bad acting, horrendous scriptwriting, stories that go nowhere, characters that behave very unbelievably and irrationally, pathetic special effects. It really is one of the worse films I've ever seen.

Not scary, not funny at all. I sat through the whole of the movie and wished I hadn't.

So why do I give it three stars instead of just one? There's a few bits of decent cinematography and a couple of the actors put on a good performance despite the terrible scripts.

Hoax?

[danchilton-71955 · 1/10 · 19 August 2019]

Couldnt even say this is a bad film, that implies a base level of filmaking this joke doesnt get near. It looks like somebody got their first camera, filmed their friends in their flat for a couple of hours and added some stock sounds effects. The ten star reviews are clearly the work of people involved in the film and probably took more effort than the filming.

Almost so bad it's good. But not really.

[paul-684-18075 · 2/10 · 26 October 2020]

I would guess this could have been the inspiration for Garth's Marenghi's Darkplace, except the latter was made 14 years prior to this. Psychomanteum isn't in that kind of league, however. One of the first problems I had to deal with was the sound. The audio quality on all components is so poor that I found it unwatchable without closed-caption subtitles. Then the between-story narration is a disaster: I suspect the narrator didn't bother to do read-through before being recorded. And for most of the pieces within, the scripts, acting, and visuals are all so appalling that one assumes they were made by students. But not film students, however. I'm guessing they were made by high schoolers or adult education students that were given some camera equipment for a few weeks. The most successful thing about them is that they were handed in completed.

I have to admit, however, that there are a few exceptions: The Language of Birds was highly stylized and strange, but actually good. I also enjoyed the sex-change story, although I don't think it was made all that well. And, the priest-in-the-water story was a clever idea, if not marvelously executed. If I hadn't dozed off part way through it I might have enjoyed this one more.

Overall, bad, but not quite the deliberate or good kind of bad. Do check out Garth Marenghi, though: That's the way it should be done.

Terrible, Terrible, Terrible, Terrible, Terrible, Terrible, Terrible, Terrible

[future_release · 2/10 · 16 October 2019]

The 10's are clearly from friends and family or the filmmakers themselves. The acting and plots are all terrible and some of the most appalling VFX I have ever seen.

Way worse than the worst student project I've ever witnessed.

Save yourself while you still can :)

UTTER TRASH!

[daniele-iannarelli · 2/10 · 9 September 2018]

TRASH! What utter rubbish!

I'm a big fan of short stories, particularly sci-fi/horror (such as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "The Outer Limits", etc) and I was looking forward to this.

However...

I can only describe it as a total waste of my valuable time. It was overall a poorly amateurish attempt at short-story telling.

I just fail to understand the high ratings some 'reviewers' have given. I think there's a complete dearth of rational appraisement and, indeed, good taste among today's viewers, with Alfred Hitchcock and similar excellent short-story writers, producers and directors being totally alien to them. I'd suggest all you higher-rating reviewers do some research on classic short-story productions. In fact I'd suggest, as a start, have a look at the Ealing Studios production of "Dead of Night" (1945), directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer.

Back to this "Psychomanteum" codswallop... the acting, direction, production are all a low-level amateurish. Perhaps the worst was the stilted narration in every segment (especially the female narrator in the second story and the female newsreader in the third). Then there's the overall narrator who sounded like a cross between a drunken Scotsman and Wallace (of 'Wallace and Gromit').

These narrators (just like the 'actors') obviously had no semblance of professional, nor any sort of decent, training.

For me, what really took the biscuit was the statutory 'humorous' story (there's always one so as to break up the 'pressure' of a horror compendium) about the men changing into women and vice-versa. The word "cringeworthy" springs to mind...! DAFT, at best!

I've given it an extra star because the overall, fundamental idea was good, otherwise a one-star rating would have been the more appropriate award.

Not recommended.

B rated at best

[notareal-puppet · 1/10 · 26 August 2018]

I think most the people that rated this, were people that played a part in making it.

Weird and wonderful, wildly inventive, expect only the unexpected

[bolly-4 · 10/10 · 28 July 2018]

Caught this at a film festival in Madrid and was thankfully really glad I made up my mind the night before to get my head down early so as to ensure I made the ten am screening. None of the directors showed up which was disappointing considering what a surprise this film was, questions questions questions? Consisting of eight or nine (?) short psychological horror films that varied radically from one another connected by a creepy narration which was highly disconcerting "Psychomanteum" is one of those very rare beasts, a horror film that challenges its audience to think. Pay close attention if you don't want to miss a sudden plot change which veer from the mundane to the incredible within minutes, rolling like waves that are comfortable to become deeply unsettling. I recommend this highly, unique and unusual anthology film, see it before you read about it, for it will always be with you! Oh...loved the score/soundtrack too.

What is this

[geoffsherwood · 1/10 · 26 September 2018]

This is my first review on this site. But what did i just watch. I can concur with the reviews above that this movie does look like it was made by 16 year old movie students.

Thankfully not a Zombie in sight and a rare delight.

[pro_bono · 10/10 · 30 July 2018]

Psychomanteum is an eclectic highly original British film portmanteau film which reminded me a lot of the films of my youth, the opening theme music is Bach's Toccata and fugue in d minor which I suspect is a knowing nod of homage to "Tales from the Crypt" a classic British portmanteau film of the early seventies and a more than a decade before Stephen King's "Cat's Eye" of 85. I'm feeling somewhat nostalgic now to dig them out and rewatch those old gems. The violence when it happens is thankfully nearly all off screen. "Afraid of the Dark" the opening film, is beautifully shot, very strong but ended to soon leaving me wanting more my curiosity piqued, "It's in the Trees" is a cautionary tale about children not listening to their parents and going into the woods at night only to fall foul of something Alien that has arrived on a crashed meteorite/space ship, the kids are snatched screaming to their unseen deaths one by one, the pleasant change being that the director Brady doesn't really do happy endings. "Cyber 9 11" reminded me of a live action take on the animation "When the Wind Blows", in that it is a global event story told in a refreshingly simple, colloquial if Pinteresque way, as a couple watch and listen to the events of the end of the world as we know it whilst sitting at home, on the TV and radio, a short comic tongue-in-cheek tale of a virus that changes its victims sex is the lightest of pieces in this collection. The tales then on get darker and darker, a Lynchian like in style tale of house invasion, a darkly poetic piece about a deranged killer who communes with, or perhaps he is a carrion crow, a priest who has lost his faith just when it could have saved him and finally the strangest story of all, an aborted baby returning home years latter to take revenge on its would have been parents, all the tales are wrapped up with an interlinking, drug/dream like narration by a dark and furiously maniacal soul. So, all in all clearly no lack of imagination here then, the performances are in general very good considering that the film was made on I guess on a limited budget, stated as under 500K $, over several years. Thankfully not a Zombie in sight and a rare delight.

Terrible

[v-26544-97069 · 18 October 2018]

Terrible! Do not waste your time like I did!!!!! I feel cheated by all the ten star reviews. I won't be trusting IMDB reviews again!

Not necessarily Horror, but enjoyable all the same

[eirwen-42548 · 7/10 · 28 November 2020]

I'm not really a fan of anthologies, especially in the Horror Genre as they tend to be too dark for my taste (I need a little light and humor mixed in with all the darkness.)

And while some of the stories found here might have been better served in a Sci Fi Anthology, I thought the struck a good balance between dark and light, serious and humorous, with the shorts they included.

Note: Stars are given based on my personal enjoyment of the film and plot.

7 - Interesting story, but there were some plot inconsistencies that brought down the overall score. I might watch it again eventually.

First minute is a piercing hypnotic sound

[GrayedMan · 1/10 · 21 August 2018]

I had to shut it off. I was looking forward to watching this because of some of the good reviews but the filmmaker blew it. The first minute or so of the film is this horrific loud piercing noise, the kind that induces seizures. If it didn't bother you, you're very lucky. I don't know if there are any other points in the movie where the filmmaker chose to be foolhardy and dangerous.

New British horror film stands out from the crowd

[likop · 10/10 · 6 August 2018]

Psychomanteum (perhaps not the most memorable or easily searchable name) stands out and above all recent lacklustre anthology films since it avoids cliches to deliver original and seriously messed up stories that are weird and memorable. The interlinking narrative piece reminded me of "This Unnameable Little Broom" by the Brothers Quay, no it's not animated, but it does have the same mad, frenzied energy that left me with a haunting takeaway. OK a couple of the short films are weaker because they end before they really get going but there are more than enough multiple award winning stand out films to justify the price of viewing, which at under a dollar is a steal and free if your an Amazon Prime member.

Psychomanteum

[peterhamill-25021 · 9/10 · 4 August 2018]

A disturbing series of dystopian vignettes. Dark, chilling and thought provoking with some light relief in an ironic parody of gender switching.

What's with the really low reviews on this movie, really?

[three_pack · 10/10 · 12 September 2018]

Well, sure it isn't Oscar material here, but it most definitely deserves prizes for originality and for what the movie is supposed to be, it is surely not deserving anything less than a seven as it ticks all the boxes a low budget anthology movie should do. I have seen several 1-3 star reviews, what's up with that? I mean seriously? Have these people even watched the same movie? It's budget is clearly low, shock horror it's not a Hollywood budgeted scale movie, but u have tones of absolute garbage movies here on IMDB being rated 9 and 10's deceiving people and on the opposite end, you have OK movies like this one being rated 1 and 2's, like the sound is fine no "piercing noise" at the start, what? OK the occasional short brings its total score down but in a film like this I expect to find no more than two or three really good shorts and on this it easily delivers so I give it a solid 7 out of 10 if u compare it with the likes of another recent horror anthology movie Ghost Stories and yet, people are just throwing 1 and 2's like if this was some sort of sharknado B horror movie, Jesus people, rate movies seriously, what is wrong with u people these days???

Don't Watch Alone!

[filmmakingisfun · 10/10 · 1 August 2018]

With unusual stories and unpredictable endings that you don't see coming, I really love this film for its originality and put Psychomanteum firmly in the hallowed company of my other favourite recent horror anthology films, alongside the likes of "Creepshow", "Southbound" and "Three...Extremes", which you also really should see if you missed them. Really nothing at all like the trashy anthology films of the 1970s and 80s, similar in format, but the caparisons stop there.

Weird and Wonderful

[grimshawkathleen · 10/10 · 31 July 2018]

If you like horror this is for you. Great cinematography quirky and original

Indie filmmaking is alive & well, & creepy (In a good way!

[aaronandrews-98233 · 10/10 · 31 July 2018]

Dir. Brady proves that it don't take a bid budget to scare the @%*+! ! ! out of you.

English independent movie industry is alive and kicking

[odetecosta · 10/10 · 2 August 2018]

Great movie, different and gripping. Intriguing storylines with great acting and sublime work by the director.

Kudos bro

[bradyaiden · 10/10 · 31 July 2018]

This film reminded me of cult classics Eraserhead, & Kwaidan.

Why all the 10* reviews? It's crap!!!!

[angus-42011 · 20 September 2018]

I suppose the good thing about having a compilation of several mini films is that you have a lot of cast, crew and family/friends to leave fake ten star reviews! Looks like it was made by 16 year old art students and not particularly talented ones either.

Suspense and Comedy rolled together

[reybenavidez-90962 · 10/10 · 6 August 2018]

This movie was great. I loved all the scenarios that were incorporated. I loved that each short was unique and interesting. I laughed so hard after I was scared. It offers a few points we as a society can relate to. The filming was great. If you like movies that offer suspense and comedy at the same time this is a must watch movie. Then you can watch it again to see what you missed the first time you watched it. I've watched it 5 times.

Creative fun different

[reybenavidez-90962 · 10/10 · 6 August 2018]

This was a great film , every story was unique in itself. I laughed so hard throughout the movie. It was suspenseful throughout. I can't wait to see the next movie.

So refreshing it cooled me off in this heat!

[lilith136-30-639215 · 8/10 · 8 August 2018]

As a massive horror fan this was a welcome find on a lazy afternoon. I won't give too much away, but if you are into proper suspense, something that actually has a message and is not just simply made of $1000000 chucked at it, well this is something you should watch. As someone else has mentioned, a couple of the stories may be ended too soon. But it is forgivable. I think I may have to watch it again, there is so much packed in it!