Caveat

Sad too. Because I was really enjoying the rabbit stuff. And the harness thing. And the Memento-style whodunit aspect. But it seemed to reveal all its tricks way too early and the filmmakers didn't know what to do with the nifty elements they created, leaving a muddled, dragging and repetitive second half.

I wish it worked better.

First off I relish watching any Irish horror film being from Dublin and a big horror buff I'm always on the look out for a great Irish horror film and there have been at least a couple. I really wanted to love this film after seeing the great trailer and poster. Top marks for the trailer and poster. This film had my full and undivided attention up to the first hour passing and unfortunately it really began to lose me thereafter. I really wondered why that was. I think the story is gaining momentum for the first hour, it's really well shot, it sounds great and the story is original but when it boils down to it the characters in the film were quite difficult to really relate to and emphathize with. I didn't care what happened to the main character in the latter moments of the film and the suspense had vanished. 'Caveat' feels like a great idea for a short film that was then used for a feature film instead. It feels very long and a bit repetitive after a short period of time. I wasn't interested in any of the characters and I think that's the film's downside. There wasn't any bad acting or anything like that I just didn't feel anything for any of those characters. Maybe such a small cast also added to my feelings of disinterest. The ending in particular felt very weak, there was no pay off at the end at all. Great photography, great sound design but uninteresting characters, a muddled narrative, very light on any horror of any kind. I really wanted to love it but the last half an hour lost me completely. There is certainly real talent behind this film in particular behind the lense but it won't be a rewatch for me. 5/10

Will you go to this sketchy and clearly dangerous place and babysit a weirdo child? Nope - FIN

A haunted house horror on Shudder. This movie was less than an hour and a half, but man it was slow and boring for the first hour and 10 minutes. It's atmospheric, but not as creepy as it intended to. I'll admit, the usage of background noise was quite effective in some scenes. Then, the horror really become significant at the end. The eyes were used to great extent that kept me on the edge.

My biggest problem was that this movie felt like testing horror and not about making a coherent story. Lots of things felt random and pointless.

Overall, the editing for horror was pretty good, but the story was nonsense. 5/10.

This movie is going to lose a lot of people in the first 30-40 minutes unfortunately. In the modern world of cinema where audience attention spans are at an all-time low, people just aren't going to stay focused on a movie with this slow of a start. If there was an opening scene that hinted at things to come, maybe. But there really is nothing promised in that opening. Some people love the slow-burn, no doubt about it, and those people are going to have a great time with this one. But not the majority I fear.

After that slow start things do start to pick up a bit and an interesting set-up finally arises. I was ready for this. But then no sooner has this set-up presented itself, before it falls back into the recesses of nothingness for another period. This was a little frustrating and by this point in the movie I really wasn't having a good time. So how did I come to a score as high as 6/10 you're probably wondering?

The ending to this movie was very interesting. It still struggled mightily with pacing issues, however there is one scene near the end that was as well done of a horror scene as I have seen in a while. Rarely does anything potentially supernatural give me the slightest bit of interest these days, but this had me on the edge of my seat. A very impressive scene.

I also liked that the film was in no way relying on jump-scares. For my memory there isn't a single one throughout the film. All the horror is done through slow reveals, tension building and creepy imagery.

It's important to remember this is a debut effort from Damian Mc Carthy (interesting name). He'll learn a lot from the feedback he gets on this film and with the small showings of excellence that this film has he could put out something truly special one day. Watch this space.

Considering this is the director's first outting, this film is pretty remarkable. On just a shoe-string budget, the film manages some great cinematography, set design, performances, and a few genuine chills. Unfortunately, where the movie falters is in the writing. The plot has far too many holes, and the character's make constant, border-line incomprehensible decisions. If you can turn off your critical thinking for a majority of the film, and just appreciate it for it's atmospheric tension, you'll find there are some really promising and enjoyable moments/ideas strewn throughout.

Considering how over-run the horror genre is with terrible cash grabs, it's always exciting to see a director who is clearly talented and has their own unique voice and vision; even if the end result is a bit messy. Can't wait to see what the director does next!