Catching this before it leaves Shudder. A decent spine-chilling micro-budget horror with a story that's emotionally resonant and grounded in reality. It really shows how effective you can be with limited resources and lots of creativity. It takes concepts of trauma and tries to make sense of it, leaving you with a ton to think about. When it comes to the scares there's plenty of creepiness. The contemplative pace, melancholic music, and those tunnel shots successfully cast an otherworldly atmosphere throughout the film until the bleak conclusion. The cast is sympathetic as well as believable. This one definitely will stick with me for a while.

Heartbreaking more than thrilling or scary.

I watched this film without knowing it was actually directed by Mike Flanagan. When I saw his name in the beginning of the film, I immediately knew I was in for a treat! I was not wrong! There is something special about the way he tries to scare people who watch his films. I can't tell you exactly what that is. All I know is that he is bloody good at it! You could see the film had a limited budget but actually the fact that its budget was limited made the film even better. Its atmosphere was unique. The "jump scares" were not really a traditional jump scare but rather an amazing collection of moments where you wished you were so glued to the screen. Would I watch it again? Definitely! Would I make my friends watch it? ASAP!

Not as good as occulus, but really close. The movie is very slow, but it is so well made that the intensity never really lets go. You always keep wondering what is going to happen next. The story does have some logic flaws, but because of how interesting everything is, it doesn't really get distracting.

Some good ideas, but a movie that seems beyond Flanagan’s capabilities at the time. Missing people in America is a rich topic, and bringing trolls back to their fae-ish roots is also strong. But he doesn’t do much with it, in part surely due to the budget. There’s good atmospheric work, a creative bit of horrific gore at the climax, and the most interesting part of the film is something that Flanagan will return to time and again- what happens after the horror? How do we move forward? But it’s held back by awkward acting and an underwhelming ending.