Reminds one of "The Shining" and "Rosemary's Baby" and, NO, not of that high caliber production. This is bootstrap film making. The thing about slogging through the ground covered by the two films mentioned above is that it's such rich ground to go slogging in. It's no shame to target those same "feelings". It's a rich mine and can be returned to time and time again without becoming pale and impotent. It's a powerful niche of our psyche and this film nudges those fears and suspicions into the light with a very slight hand. The ending wobbles off into non-closure but that evasive ending is a tool to wield in this kind low-keyed film. Not a whole lot new here (except that OHMYGOD kid in the closet and the skin-crawl faces in the fence) but this isn't new territory. As so often in low dollar productions, the unpolished mannerisms of the film add rather than detract. This would never work as a high-dollar movie. The overdone FX, required in a large budget film, would reduce effect.
EDENDALE isn't in competition with anything. It's a favor for those of us who don't mind re-entering familiar territory that owns a lot of landscape. So much of horror is "tell me the same story I love so much but change it up just a bit, play with me...and give it an edge".
Not new stuff. Not great stuff. The actors are really good bad ingredients. The wife has the heaviest role and, for 99% of her screen time, nails it. Husband has the hardest role; so delicate the lift of an eyebrow can be overdone. The "neighbors" were overripe - the audience gets it already, we're not stupid.
I like movies that "creep" at you instead of "leap" at you.
A horridly disfigured and over-sized figure screaming out of the dark and swinging an axe is one kind of fright.
A noise in the corner of a dark room where nothing is supposed to be is another kind of fright.
The first is over in a moment. The latter may haunt you for weeks.
EDENDALE has a low terror count, but a high "creep" count.
It doesn't matter this a well trod trail. We'll gladly trod it again when someone else chooses to takes us by the hand and lead us there.
