Moloch

Moloch (2022) is a new release from the Netherlands currently available on Shudder. The storyline follows a group of researchers who uncover a fossilized woman tied to a legend near a bog. Shortly after finding the corpse a house near the bog starts having visitors and portions of the legendary story starts happening all around the family in the house. The legend may play out at the family's home if the scientist and family doesn't work together to stop it.

This movie is directed by Nico van den Brink in his directorial debut and stars Sallie Harmsen (Bladerunner 2049), Markoesa Hamer (How to Sell Drugs Online), Edon Rizvanolli (Unwanted), Alexandre Willaume (The Wheel of Time) and Jack Wouterse (Vet Hard).

This movie has several original concepts that I really enjoyed. There are crazy intense throat slash scenes in this like you've never seen before. The storyline reminded me of Rare Exports in some ways. The settings are really beautiful and the dialogue is well written and felt realistic. The acting is solid and the horror elements are well done. The ending is absolutely tremendous. My one complaint is there are several scenes with a child in a basement and acts going on above them where if they showed the acts taking place I believe those scenes could have been even better (those scenes in this reminded me of Black Phone in a way).

Overall this is a solid addition to the horror genre that's worth a viewing. I would score it a solid 7-7.5/10 and recommend giving it a shot.

This one landed at a solid 6.5 for me and I decided to round up to a 7 as I am a bit biased towards folk horror.

The story, while a tad slow paced, was engaging and atmospheric. The plot was interesting and they kept it just slightly confusing enough to where I somehow did not see that twist at the end coming, even though I felt I totally should have haha

The acting was pretty on point the whole time, everyone seemed to have done a solid job. I enjoyed the mix of the two languages, it added another dimension to the story while also giving it a sense of relatability as an English speaker. Technically, the movie also shinned, it looked and sounded great.

The third act was by far the best part and while it took a bit to get there, the first two thirds were enjoyable as well. I think it would've been a bit more successful if they had shaved some of the dead space off or sprinkled a little bit of the magic that the third act had into the first two. Would definitely recommend.

In Director Nico van den Brink's MOLOCH, Betriek (Sallie Harmsen) encounters several strange, inexplicable occurrences, some that threaten her mother's life. Meanwhile, in a nearby bog, ancient bodies are being uncovered by an archaeological team led by Jonas (Alexandre Willaume). These bodies all share something in common that could be related to what's happening to Betriek's family.

Is there a curse on them?

MOLOCH is a very unsettling horror film, full of omens and building dread. The supernatural elements are woven into the story in a believable way that never comes off as absurd. The characters react like real human beings who find themselves in bizarre, dangerous circumstances, not like action heroes.

If you enjoy movies like HEREDITARY, THE WITCH, A DARK SONG, or THE EMPTY MAN then this should be on your watchlist...

This was better than expected. I was expecting a more Dick Maas kinda horror, since Dutch horror movies are not known for their finesse. But this would be a pretty decent Hollywood movie, so for a Dutch production: bravo! I am also in love with Sallie Harmsen now <3. Be sure to check it out when it hits Netflix or sth! 8/8,5.

It's funny how some reviewers write about 'cliches' here...what, in this day and age, hasn't borrowed from the past?

Another funny review was the one who wrote that they might've liked it more if it wasn't in Dutch...i'll let you figure out the humor in that on your own...(btw...there ARE subtitles available if you're watching it with a player that can handle subs. Like a vlc player. Free to download. Great player).

I'm a big fan of taking projects on their own merits...and this one puts a number of classic elements of horror together in a way that, for me, was pleasing... having lived here, in the Netherlands, for over 20 years, it was also very refreshing to see a movie come from here containing some of the 'folksy' dynamics i love so much about this country. Not only was it set here, but it WASn't set in one of the cities...THAT was extremely pleasing.. decent story, well done. Thanks. Hope to see more from the makers of this film...