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I always ask myself why people can trash and complain about movies so often but never bother to commend one that is worth the praise. I am truly fascinated that people invest so much effort to take down a film or a specific series instead of ignoring it and utilizing that energy on promoting the films that actually deserve to be broadcast.
So let’s talk about Purgatorium. This is a movie I did not even know existed. You can claim that it is because the movie did not allocate any money towards marketing, but we all know that is complete nonsense. In this day and age, Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo make it incredibly easier for independent films to promote themselves. Unfortunately, people would much rather post about things they dislike and have very little knowledge about,, such as movies, politics, religion, and gay marriage.
The movie follows a set of twenty-somethings waking up in a house. The group of people has no idea about their identity or how they came there in the first place. The group tries to restore their identities while battling each other and the sinister forces lurking within the house.
The more they search, the more memories come back, showing what led them to get locked inside the house. One by one, they all become victims of time and that same sinister force that dwells in the hallways.
I don’t enjoy watching thrillers, and I particularly don’t like psychological thrillers, but this one certainly made it a joy. I walked into the movie expecting it to be a thriller, and it did manage to amuse me. The main elements to praise in this film are the camera work, along with the dark and moody theme. The film looks gorgeous, and the moments when they try to creep the viewer out are genuinely well done.
The film feels cliched from the start, but I suppose that was the intention. It did have some amusing parts, but I felt like I had seen everything after a while. The same can be said for the dialogues as well. When the characters talked to each other, each part was overly explicit and nothing was left unsaid. This left a lot to be desired in terms of the film’s overall feel. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not sure whether it was done to squeeze in a couple of laughs, which did come off as annoying after a while.
My guess is that they could have gone either way, both directions would have made the movie a lot better than it was. If the movie was going for comedy, this would have been the joke, but it should have gone in that direction and added more funny bits. The film could have taken a different approach and gone darker, it could have been something completely horrific. Instead, the movie just stayed within that border of cringeworthiness.
The film’s dialogue makes it almost impossible to evaluate the acting. While I am sure the cast did well, the script seemed to conflict with the overall vibe of the film. The movie is extremely predictable, and I could guess the twist very early on. I do think that the film’s atmosphere, tension, and many of the jump scares make up for it being so predictable. We do get a few on-screen kills, and while there is some bloodshed, they are not very graphic. This film is strong in atmosphere and suspense, so it misses the mark for gore lovers. I wouldn’t recommend it to those who want blood splattered on the screen. On the whole, this is one deeply disturbing thriller that is bound to give you chills. I would firmly say that it is worth a watch.
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