La Mansión

I wasn't sure what I was in for here, as I sat down to watch the 2021 Amazon Original horror movie "The Manor", but it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen was actually sufficient enough to make me sit down and watch it. And I have to admit that the movie's cover/poster was definitely helping to convince me to watch it as well.

And as it turned out then writer and director Axelle Carolyn actually managed to churn out a pretty wholesome story here with "The Manor". The writing is pretty good and the pacing of the movie was equally good. I enjoyed the slow build-up of suspense and not really knowing what was going on until well into the movie. So thumbs up to Axelle Carolyn for that.

Visually then "The Manor" is pretty good. This is not a horror movie that relies heavily on special effects or ghoulish creatures, but there is a great atmosphere permeating the movie. And the environment of the house is really spot on, which adds a level of believability to the movie.

Aside from an interesting storyline, then "The Manor" does have some great acting performances, and especially Barbara Hershey (playing Judith) carried the movie phenomenally well with her performance. And the movie also have the likes of Bruce Davidson on the cast list.

If you enjoy a good old fashioned horror movie, then give "The Manor" a chance. I did, and I was genuinely entertained by what the movie delivered.

My rating of "The Manor" lands on a six out of ten stars.

I thought it would be at least a 5.

If not for Barbara Hershey I would have rated it 2 or 3.

The first 3 minutes were fine.

Soon on I was annoyed and losing interest. A bit more time I had the thought that I was inflicting punishment on myself by continuing.

Watched till the end.

Either Barbara Hershey is out of money or a Producer or a director is a very close relative or someone called in a favor.

Acting was mediocre. The screenplay, directorial influence, cinematography, CGI, and editing destroyed any possibility of the film from getting any good ratings or reviews.

The nursing home horror approach seemed interesting enough and they get to it quickly, but given the 80min runtime that's not too shocking. Despite this, there was very little a tual horror to the movie, except for a few creepy moments and the revelation of the creature at the end. Props to the cosmetic effects and overall design for it, although far from scary. There was a surprise here and there story-wise, but nothing to blow you out of the water. And unfortunately the climax was anticlimactic, ruined by an overlong spile of dialogue and an unexpected ending that felt like a bad joke. Seemingly rushed, too, which made it worse. Acting all around was passable to good, but my main praise goes to Barbara Hershey and her many blatant lines devoid of sugarcoating, which gave her character some personality opposed to most female protagonists in horror movies. I honestly enjoyed the buildup and characters of the first half more than the culmination of the second. A lot of wasted potential.

I cannot get over the ridiculous fact that a perfectly healthy, vibrant woman, only 70 years old, WANTS to go into a nursing home. That is absurd. Those are horrible places where people go to lose their freedom and die. Who would WANT to do that? It does not fit her character. That alone pissed me off enough to lower my rating.

... Feeble, Unoriginal, Night-scares! An ageing dancer unintentionally entombs herself in a home for the elderly only to discover some residents are not what they present. Everything you've seen before although the performances are notable and the special effects far from wooden.