द मेनर

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.

Blumhouse presents a TV movie that is better than most. There were even a deft scare or two. A 70 year-old dementia patient doesn't like her new digs at the nursing home. There's something bumping in the night and the cat knows who's next to die. The whole place is appropriately gloomy and the story is delightfully doomy.

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 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.

Mystery / metaphysical horror movie. A fairly modern but aged woman, due to some health issues decides to separate from her daughter and grandson and stay in a nursing home. Still, strange things happen there, and among other things she loses all the freedom of her life, and while she still seems to have a clear mind, they try to convince her that she is crazy, that she has dementia, like the other ones. On the one hand she sees strange shadows at night, on the other hand she sees that gradually people in there to be dying one after another. As much as she wants to return home, her family is convinced that she is really suffering from hallucinations and she has dementia and that it is better to stay there. But what is really happening? Has she really started to lose her mind or is there something really dark in the nursing home? A question that she must answer trying to find evidence against time since soon it will be her turn too. Influenced by other films, but interesting and well-rounded, with experienced actors and very good direction, with suspense and mystery throughout and with a dark element in various timepoints. Also, its short duration does not leave room for boredom, while the ending will surprise many people. On the downside, despite the ongoing mystery, it could have been much more intense and may have been extended to have a little more action in the end. It is still worth a watch for fans of the genre.