Control Freak

It is really hard to make a horror movie of this quality. Kudos to the director and especially the crew.

It is a suspense / horror movie like no other I have seen in the last 5 years.

I really liked the back and forth between the core story and the history that brought this movie together. My thought at first looking at this was = "another cheap movie and that I would disconnect within 20 minutes of watching it". To my surprise, I was hooked from the get-go. I sincerely think that if you give your concentration and the thoughts behind it, you should truly appreciate this movie.

If you are of sound mind and really put your heart in it, you will understand the wisdom and effort that were put in the script. I will recommend it without hesitations.

I really tried to give this move a chance. There are not alot of redeeming qualities to this film. The acting is very hit and miss, sometimes they will convey all the true emotions then it's equal to a bad soap opera. The special effects are extremely lack luster. The shadows are done will but that's it. I can't say more without spoiling it. You'll see what I mean... It's rough. The story itself is very bad. It falls apart quick and doesn't come back. One thing this movie does very well is make you think you have an itch on your head. All the main character does is scratch! This movie is something to have on in the background but don't expect alot from it.

First of all, I have to say I wasn't aware of this movie and I didn't watch any trailers before watching the movie, so I didn't know anything about it. Eventually, it wasn't exactly what I had imagined and I have to say, I'm not really sure if I enjoyed it or not. The movie synopsis was very interesting, mysterious and kinda innovative. Unfortunately, the storyline wasn't well-written, nor well-explained and there were many plot holes during the movie. However, I have to say that this movie definitely had potential. The main character (Val) was very interesting and kinda well-developed. The casting choices were nice and their performances were descent, the main lead did a great job of portraying her character. I wouldn't consider it a scary movie, because there were only two jumpscares during the movie and it wasn't scary, at all. Actually, I would consider it a psychological thriller type of film. In my opinion, the ending wasn't good because it wasn't well-explained and it didn't make any sense. At least, the cinematography/score of the movie were both beautiful. Overall, "Control Freak" wasn't a nice film, it was kinda boring sometimes, not well-explained and probably I wouldn't recommend it to my friends!

Even though the cover of Control Freak looks like a cheap SYFY movie, I was intrigued because it was tagged as body horror, and the ambiguous description gave me hope that it would be something special. The film's low ratings prepared me to lower my expectations, but I gave it a try nonetheless.

The story follows Valerie, a successful motivational speaker who becomes tormented by an unrelenting itch on the back of her head, causing her life to spiral out of control.

Visually, the movie is well-made, with strong cinematography and decent performances, though the acting felt uneven at times. Unfortunately, the story itself falls flat over its 100-minute runtime. Control Freak is apparently based on a short film, which I haven't seen, but I imagine the concept worked much better in a shorter format. The premise-where a protagonist is tormented by something unknown, leaving the audience to wonder whether it's psychological or supernatural-isn't exactly new. The only unique angle here is that the lead is a motivational speaker, which fits well with the movie's overarching metaphor.

The film did succeed in making me feel itchy and uncomfortable, especially with Valerie's constant scratching and the unsettling imagery of ants crawling around. I also genuinely enjoyed the third act, though the movie never really built up enough momentum for me to stay fully invested in Valerie's struggle.

If you have Hulu or another streaming service where you can watch this without paying extra, it might be worth a try. However, I wouldn't recommend spending money on it, as it doesn't offer enough to stand out. The pacing drags, and the narrative lacks originality, but it remains a watchable film with both its strengths and flaws. [5,4/10]

I found that a greatest disservice an author can make to a struggling protagonist, whose struggle is amplified through horror is juxtaposing them against a backdrop of supportive sound boards. Sometimes it's necessary. However, here I see some interesting symbolism and it simply falls short in that backdrop. She comes across as one-dimensional, her partner is an idealized portrayal of a person incapable of suffering or harm, and her ignoring her assistant or a doctor considering the severity of her state comes across as forced. Portrayal disregards complexities women face and appears as a writer's limited understanding of their character. I do prefer horror with social commentary and I am not feeling that here.