Temporada siniestra

Remember that computer game from the 1990s called Myst? This is like that video game, puzzles, creepy atmosphere, cool sound effects, difficult to figure out. Unlike the game of Myst no one has made a walkthrough of this movie yet. I kind of liked what I saw but I understood very little of it. This isn't a terrible movie, but it is slow paced, and like mentioned by numerous others, difficult to figure out. The surface story is clear enough but the underlying mystery needs a bunch more explaining. There are a lot of good effects that are totally creepy and the ideas behind the story make it worth a watch if you are curious.

This was okay, the plot is unique, the scenery reminds me of silent hill. I liked the mystery going around the movie but it somewhat got boring because all we saw was a woman running around the island searching. I wish there was more to the plot and the ending didn't do the movie any favors to be honest.

As I sat down to watch the 2021 fantasy horror movie "Offseason" from writer and director Mickey Keating, I must admit that I knew nothing, absolutely nothing, about the movie. It being a horror movie was essentially all that was sufficient for me to sit down and watch it.

And I will say that the storyline told in "Offseason" is a slow burn type of storyline and narrative. So if you're hoping for a horror movie with an abundance of jump scares and spooky scenes, then "Offseason" is not your type of movie. Nay, "Offseason" is more of a Lovecraftian type of horror movie. Writer and director Mickey Keating takes his sweet time to set up the stage, but ultimately the long wait didn't really bear fruit in a fulfilling and satisfying manner.

The narrative told in "Offseason" was definitely inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, as it was a coastal community that apparently had struck some kind of bargain with a person that had emerged from the sea, and the town residents were bearing an old secret. And then the entire scene at the beach was just full-blown Lovecraft, no doubt about it. And I will say that it actually was the highlight of the movie, if you enjoy the cosmic dread of Lovecraftian stories. But if you watch "Offseason" hoping for a regular horror movie, then you will probably be lulled to sleep by the pacing and the lack of scary things.

"Offseason" is a movie with a small cast ensemble, and you essentially just following Jocelin Donahue (playing Marie Aldrich) around as she unveils the secrets of her past and the secrets of the secluded island. But I will say that she actually carried the movie quite well. I was pleasantly surprised to see Richard Brake (playing the Bridge Man) in the movie, just a shame that he wasn't given a lot more screen time.

Visually then you should not be expecting a whole lot from "Offseason", because it is a movie that is driven by the story and narrative of said story, not focusing on throwing an abundance of visual effects at the audience.

I will say that "Offseason" is definitely something of an acquired taste. Because if you are not a fan of the Lovecraftian tales, then you will not enjoy "Offseason" one bit. But if you are a fan of the classic H. P. Lovecraft tales, then you will definitely enjoy "Offseason".

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

I had high hopes for this movie- starring proven actors Jocelyn Donahue and Joe Swanberg with RJLE involved in distribution- but it fell short.

The main story was interesting (albeit unoriginal) and well acted, but the flow of movie felt scattered and unfocused. So much so, that I kept checking how much was left in the movie. Also, the scares were little to none, and I didn't feel an interest to see what happened next. Even good acting couldn't save my attention span

Add a little more coherence between scenes and more effective scares, and this would have been above average.

A mediocre movie at best [5/10]

I'm the type of viewer who doesn't mind seeing people walking around, investigating an interesting setting for long stretches of time. If you like to see a film with regularly-marked story beats and linear progression, this one ain't for you.

Really enjoyed the efforts to create atmosphere in thick layers, especially some earlier scenes in an ocean-side grove. At times I could sense a Lucio Fulci vibe, which the director effectively channeled. Actors are all working hard and do a good job.

It's all very watchable, but the conclusion holds no real surprises. The film runs fairly short, and left me with a curious feeling - even if it ultimately goes nowhere, I wanted an enjoyable ride to last a little longer.