Saint Clare

"Saint Clare" is a movie that I had not heard about prior to stumbling upon it here in 2025. And seeing that it was a horror movie of sorts, of course I opted to watch it.

Writers Mitzi Peirone and Guinevere Turner put together a script and narrative that started out nicely enough, but sort of stagnated and grew a bit boring and dull about halfway through. Granted, I haven't read the novel from writer Don Roff, so I don't know how true screen writers Mitzi Peirone and Guinevere Turner were to the source material.

The acting performances in the movie were good, and it was nice to see Rebecca De Mornay on the screen again. Aside from Rebecca De Mornay, the only familiar faces on the screen, for me at least, were Frank Whaley and Ryan Phillippe.

Visually, the movie was okay, but nothing outstanding.

Watchable, for sure, but I have to say that "Saint Clare" fell short of properly entertaining me from start to end.

"Saint Clare" is more of a thriller than it is a horror movie.

My rating of director Mitzi Peirone's 2024 movie "Saint Clare" lands on a four out of ten stars.

The cast was so interesting and well Bella Thorne is a true knockout but its not nearly enough to save this mess.

Surprisingly, the acting in this film is pretty terrible. Thorne's character is not at all believable and her performance is quite a yawn. And while I usually like Ryan Phillipe he was positively wooden. And Frank Whaley does a decent job of being annoying... but is still annoying.

I did suffer through the whole thing... hopefully so you won't have to!

Wow went in with the lowest expectations but was extremely happily surprised. Would definitely recommend watching. Felt like I was watching an A24 movie. The pacing is fantastic, character development of Clare is unforgettable and the imagery with incredible editing and sound will make the stand out scenes stay with you. It's a mystery and you never know where it's going next. The fight scenes are very Luc Besson Lucy meets Fifth Element with the telepathic powers of Unbreakable. Yeah some of the acting is a bit cheese but in an era where movies fail to keep my attention, it's amazing to see such a cinematic take on a girl kicking ass and serving justice!

For this genre Saint Clare is a watchable movie but it's not a movie you will remember in the future, not even a day later in my case. For that it's just not good enough in many aspects. The twists and turns that should make this movie better were weak, maybe not predictable but weak nonetheless. The acting from some actors of the cast could definitely be better. All in all it's worth a watch if you don't set the bar too high.

So whatever this movie was exactly going for didn't quite work for me. Bella Thorne manages to carry the movie quite well, even though her acting was a little uneven at times, but that could be due to how she was directed. In general, there are many stylistic choices and script decisions that felt uneven and out of place. The movie certainly had some interesting elements, and some scenes were enjoyable overall, but there's just a lot going on that doesn't fit together. From the uneven tone to the distracting editing and the very hit-or-miss performances from the cast, it all feels inconsistent. I feel like Thorne's character definitely had potential and the story could have been much more interesting, but the overall tone the movie was going for left me more confused than engaged with the narrative. The movie never really builds any genuine atmosphere, and neither the darker elements nor the gore stand out, which makes this movie overall pretty much below average with lots of weird stylistic choices and unevenness. A less pretentious attempt with a clearer narrative and less confusing editing could have made for a decently enjoyable movie. [3.9/10]