The Scary of Sixty-First

"The Scary of Sixty-First" is just a weird movie with a gloomy sense of humour based on conspiracy theories that was nice to watch. Some scenes are provocative so you are warned. It is an easy to follow premise. The storyline of the movie is that the existence of a global elite paedophile network is not that farfetched. If you like conspiracy theories and especially the ones where Epstein is involved in and with the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell now unfolding, this is definitely a movie you have to watch. Did Epstein really commit suicide? Was he indeed the ringleader of a global elite paedophile network and where the British Royals involved etc.? If you prefer a good plot twist and outstanding acting, don´t go, you will be disappointed and it will be a waste of time. Despite all the negative reviews, I kind of liked this movie. If you are just looking for entertainment and a movie where you don´t have to think too much, this is the one! You are looking at 81 minutes movie including the ending credits. It´s not like you will be wasting a big chunk of your life. Just enjoy!

This movie is outrageous, purposely offensive, gross, stupid, and overflowing with conspiracies and I absolutely loved every minute of it. I am not sure I have laughed so hard in my life as I did to some of the more outrageous scenes. I can only assume the bad reviews here are from prudish folk who either wandered into the wrong film or just are not capable of understanding a joke, albeit, a wildly offensive one.

If you love goofy conspiracies (Epstein, Clintons, etc) and can stand an offensive joke and some seriously whacky sex scenes, and would like it all wrapped up in the style of a 70s Italian slasher flick, you will love this movie.

Noelle (Madeline Quinn) and Addie (Betsey Brown) rent a spacious Manhattan apartment. The realtor seems suspicious. A girl (Dasha Nekrasova) walks in claiming to be a realtor. She's actually investigating and reveals to Noelle that the apartment was owned by billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. This takes place after his suicide while in custody.

The boyfriend sucks. Noelle is not a nice friend. Addie's radar is broken. I don't care much about these people. The only one worth rooting for is the girl and she comes in later. This is an indie horror bordering on experimental. The Epstein saga is traumatic for some and could be compelling for horror material. The second tier actors try to do some spooky acting but it comes off a bit comical. I can appreciate the attempt but the indie filmmaking does not quite achieve true spooky atmosphere.

Neither suspenseful and self-aware enough to be a gallo film nor clever in its psychological distress of the stripe of Argento, nor as conspiracy-addled as Eyes Wide Shut (despite the material lends itself to a serious search-no Aquino, no Wexner Ohio police force, none of the threads re: Epstein's being a tapped gifted student the likes of Sarfatti; an episode of Subliminal Jihad will take you much further). Nor is the film willing to hurl itself into experimentation and formal editing proper (a Brakhage-esque experiment in conspiracy qua audio-visual editing, like a Project Wandering Soul meets Paul McCarthy, would be genuinely interesting). This is a film that loses its thread early on and lapses into clichés that do not embrace their being clichés, which means the film refuses to be self-referential. It loses the thread in a way that is similar to Jacques Rozier's Maine Ocean, but is not as smartly edited or funny. This ends up looking like the director made a poor film not as a critical exercise with which to playfully challenge but because they simply could not make a good film. The sole saving grace is, at certain points, the lighting. A pity, because the Epstein matter lends itself to cinema. Go watch Francesco Rosi for much more accurate and affecting cinematic portrays of conspiracy. I do hope the director's subsequent film takes up the challenge of making a genuinely good film.

While the giallo influence may have been intentional, it didn't land for me. The conspiracy-driven plot combined with ritual horror was more frustrating than eerie. The constant tonal shifts, including the off-putting audio choices, made it feel more awkward than unsettling. I kept wondering if the weirdness was part of the charm for fans of this style, but it just didn't click. If you're into offbeat horror that pushes the boundary of strange, it might be for you, but I found myself distracted by how rough it all felt.

Even with its strange premise, it felt like it was trying too hard to shock rather than build suspense. The Epstein conspiracy angle didn't add depth, and I kept waiting for something to pay off that never did. Overall, it's a miss for me.