I went into this knowing the language and the rites presented would be foreign to me. I've seen many horror films from across the globe and, even if I don't understand the nuances of the culture and its superstitions, I can almost always still enjoy the story for what it is. That was not the case here.
First off, the acting is horrendous. Wooden, almost completely emotionless. The writing doesn't help matters. I realize lots can be lost in translation when working with subtitles, but even the lines spoken in English were awkward and unrealistic.
Second, the plot is paper thin. I swear I'm not normally one who says "I knew what was going to happen at the end within the first 5 minutes," but really, that's what happened. I mean, it's telegraphed as clearly as what was going on with the woman going through great lengths to cover half of her face for the first part of the film. Once she finally reveals what's underneath, it's such a non-revelation that I wondered why she bothered in the first place (and inexplicably she starts covering it again... I assume to save time and money on FX makeup). As another reviewer said, there's a bunch of in-fighting within the family that comes and goes randomly and with little relevance to the plot. A lot is spoken about a family curse, but very little is explained. Motivations of characters are muddy and seemed inconsistent; nuggets of exposition seem to add little to the plot and are presented in a clunky, obvious manner (someone reminds a character of something really bad they did in the past and then adds "remember?" As if the person could ever forget such a deed).
I enjoy slow-burn movies, but this seemed so slow it was borderline in reverse. Plus, just the premise of an admittedly beautiful woman picking up a guy at a bar and getting him home with the promise of sex, but suddenly he's at her dad's last rites/funeral and doesn't just say "NNNOPE! Outta here!" is just ridiculous. They didn't even give him any way *not* to leave... he drove there!
I give 2 stars for the look and atmosphere of the movie, but even at a hair over 90 minutes (including end credits and 10 minutes total of flashing lights and club music at the beginning and end), this was a chore to sit through. Save your time & skip it!
