The Shade

While the Babadook is about a mother being plagued by a supernatural creature representing her grief, loneliness, and despair as a failed mother and lost partner, the men in The Shade are menaced by a hideous harpy being that likewise represents their grief, anxiety, emotions, and fears that they're not good enough and are slipping.

The film's impact comes from it's normalcy. How completely regular and everyday it is, and then suddenly there's this flash of an arm, or your worst fear slinking across the hall. And you can't say anything, because you are so scared it's not real and no one will believe you.

The film is from the masculine perspective and explores, in a subtle, tactful way underneath the horror premise, the damage done to men when women usurp and then block their natural communication amongst themselves and ways of processing.

The men are hobbled in facing their (literal) demon by the women in their lives who cannot even see the creature as real, as many women deny male emotions are real, yet still manage to make the men's experiences about their own feelings and what they need those men to provide for them. Even men speaking just amongst themselves are hindered, since they are hedged into feminine modes of therapy speak and must reframe their experience to be less offensive or obtrusive, apologizing even as they are ignored.

The inability to share in a masculine way and the reluctance to participate in an ineffectual-for-them feminine one leads to anxiety, panic attacks, and suicides as the Harpy creature infiltrates their lives.

It's not until they band together and take up their natural roles that they can face the demon down.

Film all in all is not bad - the metaphors make it across the board, the characters and acting is well for the most part, the cinematography and thensome is phneomal, however the issue I personally had was the fact that the film dragged it's feet through thick mud. If you're expecting this to he a horror flick to the core, scary - immediately disregard that, this is an all in all very reality stricken tale of many challenging emotions like depression, grief and the repercussions of what our lashing actions can do. It really gets the messages across the board well, but as said, thick mud. I can see many people losing their patience with this one, finding it boring with its very prominent slow burn approach. This is a film to watch, if you're seeking to immerse yourself in this characters trauma and grief journey, as well as get a glimpse of some really well captured raw emotions.

I fully see where they were going, I personally enjoy the message and thensome, however with its extremely slow wrapping up and ending that ( for me ) felt like the capsize of this film, this was quite an endurance to sit through and watch. Mentally prepare and know what this film has to offer before jumping in.

"The Shade" is a deceptive film, masquerading as a traditional horror flick but revealing itself to be a poignant exploration of grief, depression, and the lengths we will go to protect those we love.

The film follows Ryan, who is grappling with the loss of his father. As he attempts to maintain a semblance of normalcy for his family, his older brother begins exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior.

What sets "The Shade" apart is its refusal to rely on cheap scares or jump scares. Instead, it delves deep into the emotional turmoil experienced by its characters. The horror is not supernatural, but rather the psychological torment inflicted by grief and loss. The film's pacing is deliberate, allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the characters' struggles which is why I want to clearly state, that this is not a horror film. Because those expectations will have you starting to squirm in your seat thirty minutes into its two hour plus run-time.

The performances are exceptional, with Chris Galust (Ryan) delivering a raw and emotionally charged portrayal of a young man struggling to cope with immense pain. The supporting cast is equally impressive, adding depth and nuance to the story.

While "The Shade" may not be the adrenaline-fueled horror film that some may be expecting, it is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition.

4.5 is slightly underrated. The acting was completely natural. This is the first time I've ever paid attention to how well Chris Galust can act and is it just me or does he look a little like Jack Dawson aka Leonardo DiCaprio? I couldn't help but watching him act and envisioning young Leo with the same mannerisms and features. Anyway with that said this movie can really test your movie watching endurance. While it does have a few good climaxes they are few and far between one another. So after something happens you're kind of just watching a bunch more character building until you get a slight pop of a demon and then your back in the therapist chair or laying with the Misses. The beginning starts of promising but it kind of gets debunked when you realize that isn't what really happens. Good movie good acting super super super slow burn. 2 hours was completely unnecessary. 4.5 is low it could gotten 5.5 or even a 6 easy but I'll go with 5.

You spent two precious hours of my time to explain nothing! Where is the explanation about what I'm looking at and why is this movie so long just to leave people hanging? Is this a generational curse? A curse for the men in the family? Or is the illness a generational curse that's causing all of these issues? Why aren't these idiots taking medication? You seek therapy but don't seek any other preventative measures. This movie is literally about how self destructive people with mental illnesses are but how it also impacts those around them. Yet for some reason I doubt that was the intent. You didn't just give the creature the middle finger, you gave it to the audience too.