I like to watch a non-American horror movie from time to time. Most of them are copies of Hollywood movies, but there is always something in them that sets them apart.
Vladenie 18 is a good example: a standard setting of a young couple who move into a suspiciously cheap apartment in a high apartment tower. Strange things happen, they do research and come to the conclusion that a lot of people have already lived in the apartment before them. However, all are gone and nobody knows what happened to them...
This russian film isn't original being a Horror film, but I don't think that should be a problem. Because how many new films are that original? I think the overall package a Horror is very well presented though. The characters arouse sympathy as underdogs and you, as a viewer, are concerned about their fate. Some viewers will probably not like the acting style which comes (in the eyes of us Westerners) across as wooden. But I think this is just the style of the conservative Russian acting school, because our older movies were often acted this way too. In any case, I liked the authentic Russian feeling of this movie!
Special effects are by far the weakest point of this film. They look so cheap that given the limited budget of this film, I just left them out altogether. Rest is good news: The plot is very well put together. As been said: It's not very original, but it's a very good quality story and it kept me watching the whole movie. The film is not really scary, nor has it gore going on, but there is plenty of suspense!
In short, for those who would like to watch a thrilling film from another part of the world, this is a good one. It won't set the world on fire, but I do call this a fun late evening movie. So that's why the 7/10!
