I was pleasantly surprised by this :) Wasn't how i was expecting it to be.

The film starts off with every haunted house cliché in the book. It's not until late in the third act that it really kicks into gear and delivers some gorey moments before reaching a fairly underwhelming climax.

The opening immediately grabbed me. Snow-covered streets, bleak winter landscapes, muted colors, and a sense of grief hanging over everything. Set in the 1970s, the film often succeeds in making you feel like you’re watching a lost horror movie from that era. At other times, however, the illusion breaks, with cleaner digital photography and more modern filmmaking techniques reminding you that this is a contemporary production. Technically, the movie is impressive. The cinematography is excellent, the sound design is superb, and several shots reminded me of The Omen. The atmosphere is easily the film’s greatest strength. There is an underlying sense of mystery and dread that makes the first half genuinely compelling. The performances are equally strong. Barbara Crampton and Andrew Sensenig are both very good, but Larry Fessenden’s Markham stands head and shoulders above everyone else. Every scene involving him feels more interesting and unpredictable. Unfortunately, the movie eventually becomes something very different from the one I wanted to watch. The quiet film, the one built around atmosphere, mystery, grief, and unanswered questions, is excellent. The snowy isolation, the strange neighbors, and the gradually unfolding secrets create a genuinely effective horror experience. Then there is the other movie. The second movie introduces fiery monsters, violent confrontations, and the town’s larger conspiracy. It relies heavily on exposition to explain its mythology and backstory, often through characters simply telling the audience what is happening. The mystery gives way to explanation, and the mood gives way to action. That second movie is far less successful. The monster scenes are not particularly scary, the action feels somewhat formulaic, and the reveal never lives up to the intrigue that preceded it. Rather than enhancing the atmosphere, these elements largely destroy it. That is what makes the film somewhat disappointing. There is a genuinely excellent horror movie hiding inside it, one built on atmosphere, mystery, strong performances, and visual storytelling. Instead, it ultimately becomes a more conventional creature feature about monsters and a corrupt town. Still worth watching for the atmosphere alone, but I could not help wishing the film had trusted its quieter instincts.

I like that this movie threw some punches when others like it would have stuck more with a psychological thriller cop-out.

doesn't really make sense and I'm not really into gore but some of it was funny