The Painted

"The Painted" is one of those films that gets overlooked - at first - but then captures the human imagination and produces a cult classic. A definite watch!

This is a story about a house full of paintings and the couple that inherits it. The paintings are mostly portraits of high quality. I won't spoil the plot by adding more detail here, except to say that the paintings reveal "The Painted".

This is an excellent, rather novel plot that tells itself once conceived. You will experience more than one chill and shiver and I'll wager that you jump several times, too. You can't get that kind of feeling from Hollywood these days, but you can mos def get it from this indy production.

If you want to experience something spine-tingling new, then you should pop some corn, roast a dog, kick back and get ready for a scary ride as you marvel at "The Painted"!

I appreciate the challenges that come with a low-budget production, and I made an effort to manage my expectations while watching. The horror concept is fresh and intriguing but lacks support from the cast's performances and script. The lead actress's expressions could have been more nuanced, though the older daughter demonstrated stronger acting skills.

I appreciate the seamless movement of the paintings, particularly when one is reflected in the mirror. This aspect of the movie truly stands out to me and enhances my overall enjoyment. If a more talented cast were assembled or if this concept were integrated into the Conjuring franchise, it could enhance the film's overall potential.

I had never heard about this 2024 horror movie titled "The Painted" from writer and director Sasha Sibley prior to stumbling upon it by sheer chance here in 2025. And given my love of all things horror, and with this being a horror movie that I had never seen, of course I opted to check it out.

And I will say that the movie's synopsis certainly sounded interesting enough. Writer Sasha Sibley put together an entertaining and enjoyable enough script and storyline. I have to say that I really did like the concept idea with the paintings.

While I was not familiar with the majority of the actors and actresses on the cast list, then I will say that the acting performances were good. I do enjoy watching unfamiliar and new talents on the screen whenever I watch a movie. I do believe that the only familiar face on the screen for me was actor Sean Bridgers.

The special effects in the movie were good and helped further the movie's narrative nicely.

"The Painted" is a watchable horror movie, no doubt about that. But it was hardly an outstanding foray into the horror genre, and the movie just doesn't warrants more than a single viewing. But maybe newcomers to the horror genre will enjoy the movie way more than I did, as a seasoned horror veteran.

My rating of writer and director Sasha Sibley's 2024 movie "The Painted" lands on a five out of ten stars.

This movie is best described as just another generic horror film. The concept is not very original, although the idea involving the paintings was somewhat intriguing at first. Unfortunately, the film fails to build any real tension or establish an atmosphere strong enough for the scares to be effective. The visual effects were also underwhelming and turned what should have been frightening moments into unintentionally laughable attempts to scare the audience.

With a major studio like Blumhouse attached, this could have been more enjoyable and better in quality, even though many of their recent releases have also become quite formulaic. Just imagine if Mike Flanagan had directed it. He could have turned the story into a powerful supernatural horror film. As it stands, the movie is forgettable and lacks anything that sets it apart from the flood of horror content released these days.

The acting is decent, and the overall production quality is fine aside from the effects. However, that alone is not enough to make the movie entertaining. It is certainly not a terrible watch, but it does not offer much to look forward to. Sadly, that makes it pretty forgettable overall, which is one of the worst things a movie can be. [4.9/10]

The introduction of the film was well done,I was fooled into thinking it'd be the early couple at the start of the movie. The core of the story is a nice break from jump scares,CGI shortcuts,and actual lighting effects to establish a spooky atmosphere. The acting was fine,I'd say it was "TV movie" accurate. But they all delivered,even with the briefest of screentime. While there is nudity,it's tastefully done,not a distraction at all from the scenes. This could develop into a series,even if it's pushed to streaming. Im hoping for an eventual sequel set in present day,I think with maybe a graffiti twist to the story lore. I'd gladly rewatch this movie and recommend it to friends!