Llega de noche

What a letdown. I can't say it was a huge letdown because that would imply that I expected it to be great, but it is a let down which means I expected it to be decent.

The movie starts with a family burying the grandfather who'd succumbed to an illness. Judging by how the family made sure to wear masks to do the job they were afraid of this illness and wanted to take every precaution. This contagion tale focuses solely on this family but then broadens its focus to include another family. It's a strange dynamic because two families are trying to coexist in a post-apocalyptic era in which distrust is far more common than trust.

That's the setup. Where do they take it from there? I'll answer that. Nowhere. This movie goes no-where. It was a total farce, a total bait and switch. Scary movies in general are pretty lousy (although I keep coming back) but at least most of them have a definite aim, a definite goal. This seemed to be aimless and goal-less. I waited for something to materialize that I could sink my teeth into. Even if it tasted bitter or sour at least it would be something of substance. This movie had no substance just appetizer after appetizer to keep you seated. In the end this movie offered nothing but a grand dead end.

I must confess I was expecting way more of this "horror" film.

It started off quite well (hence the 4 rating) but after the first 30 minutes went downhill. No questions were answered, you are left with a large list of plot holes and an ending that couldn't be more predictable and boring.

Don't get me wrong, it isn't the worst "horror" film I ever saw but is avoidable especially if you like HORROR.

I'm still waiting for what comes at night.

An incredibly poor attempt at being mysterious that leaves questions unanswered and answers vague. A movie that leads viewers to form their own ending does not give me the idea of effort and creativity but a lack there of. Any sort of plotline or point of interest was mentioned once and then never again. They didn't follow through on anything. There was nothing to be afraid of because we were never told what to be afraid of. What comes at night? What is the disease and how do you get it? The characters got no development, the story got no development, it was all very surface level.

Cinematography was good though.

I am a fan of post-apocalyptic movies and for the first 20 minutes this film shows promise, good visuals and mood. But then it crawls repeating the same shots and mild shocks until after the hour mark. At this stage you are left wondering when the real story is going to start. Plot elements are started but then abandoned. A little mystery is a good idea in this genre, it heightens the fear but at some point you need an actual narrative to draw it all together.

The ending did force a climax but it seemed botched somewhat by the director so you are left wondering exactly what happened.

The biggest failing is I didn't feel interested enough in the characters to care enough about them during the attempted resolution.

I understand that the budget would have been small but that is no excuse. The camera work was fine. The frights were well done and the tension was well maintained but it gets boring when repeated. The actors did a good job though some were miscast. It was the writing and direction that let the story down.

For a better example of a post apocalyptic movie with a similar setting look at One Hundred Mornings.

There's a lot of discussion on here as to whether this film constitutes a horror film or something more akin to a psychological drama.

As a horror film, I didn't find the film scary, and as a psychological drama, not particularly fresh in what it was presenting. I consider 'The Road' as a much, much stronger example of a film that blends horror and psychological drama - in exploring the limits of humanity & family in an apocalyptic setting.

It's nonetheless a well-made film with fine performances, but I came into the film expecting...something great, which it wasn't. That's hype for you.