Daniel’s review published on Letterboxd:
Fear has never been so real. James Wan returns to his genre. In a film that everyone expected but nobody did at the same time. With a return to scaring audiences transcending into far more than anything we've seen.
Something we might not deserve but we needed: James Wan directing horror. It is hard to notice his absence until you start seeing his craft come on screen to scare you all over again, for the first time in five years.
This will not be for everyone. But it will be some of the most entertaining cinema all year. It is a film that is paying homage to everything that came before; be it new or old; while creating something vividly original.
Annabelle Wallis was a surprise. For someone only familiar with her for The Mummy reboot. It is a night and day difference. From not only her hair colours; but her powerful performance as a woman in a lot of pain.
Ridiculous is the new clever. Wan is able to create something so incredibly over the top yet so reserved and shocking at the same time. With the tension perfectly built towards a phenomenal third act.
Beautiful from almost start to finish. The music to the lighting to so much more. It will keep you guessing, jumping and maybe even laughing until the credits start rolling. It does not give you room to breathe at all.
There will be moments that make no sense. But it is not enough to ruin almost any moment. If anything; it feels almost as if it makes sense in this strange, almost other worldly yet modern vibe created by Wan.
Trust me when someone tells you. This is not the film that you will be expecting. That is not to say it is for you. But if anything: this will shock you enough to keep you up at night thinking for a long time to come.
