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This popped up on my recommended movies list and when I found out it was because I made the mistake of watching the movie Bull Shark from the same director the reason was clear. Still, the trailer looked engaging enough and I've seen this lead actor before so I decided to give it a try.

Based on the director's previous work I expected this might be miserable to sit through but after giving it the time of day I'm not disappointed. It's not a bad movie and it certainly isn't a great one.....I'd call it perfectly average. It has flaws but the things that work for this movie really pop.

The movie is anchored by its lead actor and his commitment to the film. He is tasked with carrying the movie on his shoulders because he's in almost every scene and every other actor is hit or miss. For every good performance you're likely to find one as bad as the other was good.

The cinematographer looks to be a regular with this director and his work is put on much better display here than the last effort I saw, and it's another saving grace of what might have otherwise been a lackluster piece of entertainment.

I can't recommend this film highly but I wouldn't steer anybody away from it either. Give it a shot and see what you think. There's certainly worse ways to kill 90 minutes.

That title would probably go to the other 2022 shark movie The Requin. Bull Shark seems to be in a competition to top it but just falls short. One can also consider the newly released Beneath the Surface.

The directing here isn't the worst there is but everything about the movie is unfortunately dampened by a hackneyed and poorly developed script that spends most of its time ignoring the threat of the shark to focus on the story of a struggling alcoholic, which could be compelling if it wasn't instead so sloppy. One decent performance might have saved this movie, making it salvageable at least, but try as I might I can't find one to point out.

Schizophrenic cinematography is on display with plenty of pleasing moments for the eye followed with so many others that look like they were done by film students that I wonder if they were shot by the same person. Some decent visual effects on what was obviously a low budget saved this from being a 1, even though the shark we see on screen is a Great White instead of the Bull Shark that the title and characters indicate.

A movie about a Bull Shark let loose in a Texas lake could have been great. Unfortunately it wasn't left in capable hands. Hopefully somebody else may come along and attempt to right the wrongs.

It is a staple of a slasher or chase movie to have characters making idiotic decisions that leave you scratching at your scalp and wondering why in God's name they did what they did. Sometimes it's fun. Sometimes it's the most aggravating thing. It all comes down to the rest of the story's set up because, you see, this is all just part of the fun.

The Boy Behind the Door follows many of the tropes you've come to expect from horror-thrillers such as this one but it pulls itself up with clever writing and likable victim characters and somehow manages to shed its influence from something more typical in a slasher or chase movie and draw influence from bigger, better classic pieces like The Shining. You'll just have to see what I mean.

The tension runs high and is more effective than 99% of these movies have achieved in the last ten years, with the final act being a nail biting masterpiece that left me on edge. If you're looking for a senseless bloodbath then move right past this one but if you want something intelligent and fiercely tense then look no further. You've found more movie.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this duo does in the future.