The Harbinger

This movie has a paranormal-supernatural theme with satanic, Christian and Native American elements. The Harbinger is not an action and special effects driven roller coaster ride seeded with countless sequences of creative graphic violence. Instead this story moves forward at a gentler slower pace. There are elements of 1960's Rod Serling style of story development. Viewers impatient for intense visceral assault and dizzying effects are likely to be put off.

Watching the trailer only will probably cause viewers to conclude the movie is different than it is. The sizzle mission of trailers often results in something that is nothing like the movie. I believe this is the case with The Harbinger.

Is The Harbinger worthy of your time? I think so. What you'd get for your patience is a character and plot driven story where performers cannot hide behind special effects or anything else. In contrast they are given plenty of opportunity to soar or bore. For the most part the performances are strong and sometimes even memorable. Also casting for the supporting cast brought together some unique talents that genuinely contributed to the film.

Don't think I've seen a movie quite like this. I read all the reviews (mostly positive but also said the movie was too long, not total horror, complicated plot, etc). I see all the negative scores here, so I decided to see which way I'd go. Wow. Not sure what to think here. But the tie-breaker is how I feel and the more and more I THINK about it, the more I think the movie succeeded. I'll give this dude credit. It's different. And you definitely need to be on your toes to follow. Good atmosphere throughout. I cared about the father and his relationship with the daughter. And the lore - that's the part that I think is so different. They put a LOT of thought and planning into this. I think I'm buying in. Will def watch again.

I don't know what to say about this. Horror is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think back on it but there is some horror. It depends on what kind of horror you're into. There are a couple crazy moments. This movie isn't trying to be only that. When I say it goes deeper, what I mean is bring a notepad and an extra pen.

I'm giving this a 7 instead of a 6 for a lot of reasons, but top three:

1. Original story. Can't understate. VERY original.

2. I like the bits of humor, the eccentric townspeople and LOVE the guy who plays the devil.

3. Emotional. I found myself invested in the outcome.

Saw this at the Dances with Films Festival and decided to get it. It seems a lot of movies, especially horror, are all about the tropes being the main attraction with not much substance as the foundation underneath - which is why so many movies feel the same to me.

Every time The Harbinger hits a trope, it doesn't hone in and linger and make a big spectacle when it gets to it. It feels like just another stop along the way. The story continues on as if to say, "you think THAT was interesting, oh yeah, no, let us show you where we're going" (And yet it all ties in later). And it just keeps going until the movie hits its endgame, which is simply to tell an entertaining story with substance of plot, character, and theme (can't say what without spoilers).

Perfect example: the "possessed kid" trope- Been done a million times. They could've gone down any number of worn out paths with that trope and instead went a completely different direction. This is actually not a "possessed kid" movie but I won't say more.

I'm seeing comments this is more creepy than jump-scary. IMO that's pretty accurate, but for me you can have good and bad movies in both of those categories.

Big-budget Hollywood classic favorites of mine are 8 to 10, so this is a very strong 7 out of 10 and I could see it becoming an 8 or more over time.

Expectations play a large role in reaction to a film. This trailer makes this seem like a very fast-paced film. It's the opposite. The serious horror fans looking for fast-paced 'blood and guts' are now being replaced by people who just want to see a good movie. But even though the pacing starts slow, it is perfect, never once decreasing - every few minutes, it ramps the speed up a notch from slower to less slow, to medium, and so on, until finally intense and emotional at the very end. Rather than going after the low-hanging fruit of graphic gore and endless jump scares, this filmmaker has taken the more difficult road of substance storytelling and pulled it off. Off topic, it also has a unique style, some 'wink-wink' humor and theatricality that I appreciated.