Foreign films are fertile grounds for striking and disturbing horror. There is a far richer history from which to draw ideas from, in some cases towns and communities that have existed longer than any settlements here in the USA. A history of violence and bloodshed stretching back thousands of years. These are the places where the first stories of vampires, witches, and werewolves came from. So in that respect it's easier to trace horror roots back to the old world.
Remember the horror boom in the mid 2000's when films like THE GRUDGE and THE RING were churning out hand over fist? America had discovered the potency of Japanese horror cinema and were importing and remaking these films with a vengeance. Then later European films like HIGH TENSION and DEAD SNOW were making waves. And lets not forget the spaghetti horror films from the 1970's and 80's. In short, foreign films are where some of the best horror comes from. In 2014 a little film came out of Austria called GOODNIGHT MOMMY. This film jumped on the horror radar in a serious way and recently I was finally able to see it.
THE PLOT
In an isolated house out in the country twin boys Elias and Lukas are spending the summer together as their mother convalesces from facial reconstructive surgery. Mother needs rest and darkness to heal. She looks unrecognizable to them with bandages covering her face. She's acting stranger than usual, not herself. After a violent episode in which the boys are harshly reprimanded Lukas and Elias begin to suspect something. Maybe the woman beneath the bandages isn't their mother at all.
THE GOOD
Genuinely Creepy. Not gonna lie, this movie is slow. But it is always building. For much of the film there isn't any dialog. We see the boys playing out in the open, running through the trees and fields, and even finding an old ossuary (a bone pit. Human bones. Apparently there are ossuaries all over Europe). And then there is the mother. We primarily see her through the eyes of the boys. The bandages on her face are eerie and frightening. She has a short temper at times and seems very irritable. She needs to keep out of the light to help with healing so much of her scenes happen at night. All of it builds a genuinely creepy atmosphere and feeling of isolation. There is one particular sequence that stands out where the mother decides to go for a walk at night through the trees by herself. Very bizarre. Very creepy.
Brutal. Admittedly this movie takes a while to get going. There are some skin-crawling scenes here and there: mother in her bandages, the hissing cockroaches, and the dead cat in the fish-tank. But nothing too intense... until the final act. The movie ratchets up the intensity and delivers some truly gruesome scenes. And the film doesn't hold back. Without giving too much away there is a moment with super-glue and scissors that is particularly disturbing. The movie keeps going at this pace right up to the end.
THE BAD
Not so twisty twist? There's a plot point in the movie which is either executed perfectly or horribly depending on how one looks at the film. Almost from the very beginning you start to suspect this plot twist. There are moments where the brief dialog tries to steer you away from thinking this. Ultimately when you reach the end you find out it is exactly what you thought it was. If this were an M. Night Shyamalan film you'd be able to see the plot twist coming a mile away. But yet knowing this plot twist from the get go doesn't detract from the power of the film. The twist isn't where the plot takes off. The twist, after finishing the film, provides interesting discussion and possible explanations. So, I won't hold it against the movie too much as it still proved strikingly effective.
THE VERDICT
Just when you thought it was safe to be with family... Goodnight Mommy is a little film that achieves a lot of emotion. It is masterful in creating a feeling of isolation and how a simple thing like identity, when in question, coupled with childlike fantasy can turn into something horrific. The film doesn't pull its punches. When the story gets brutal you see it all. And afterwards you might not look at family the same way again. Give this one a go if you're looking for a suspenseful build up and harsh ending.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
Above Average. Worth the price.
Nude-O-Meter: 3 out of 10
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