Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Spook Out! Day 14 ~ We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018)

Netflix Says...
"The fragile and secretive world of two sisters and their uncle crumbles when their charming cousin arrives with eyes toward the family fortune."

I Say...
If you're trying to cut sugar from your diet but finding it hard to stick with, just watch this movie.

Horror Type...
Suspense, Thriller, Family Drama

Main Players...
Taissa Farmiga as Merricat Blackwood (Witchy Lil Sis)
Alexandra Daddario as Constance Blackwood (Agoraphobic Big Sis)
Sebastian Stan as Charles Blackwood (Grasping Cousin)

I liked...
  • Daddario's portrayal of the fragile, shellshocked sister, forced by fate to grow up and assume the always-smiling '50s housekeeper role, was amazing--bravissima!
  • the pockets of quirk that pop up now and again
  • how well the sisters look after one another, and their debilitated uncle
  • the real sense of living in the past, both literally and metaphorically, that the movie conveys
  • that the movie was pretty faithful to the book upon which it's based...

The Meh...
...and yet, the movie does something the book doesn't, as far as I can recall: it hints at an answer to the big WHY, which I find unsatisfying as what the film implies doesn't answer the WHY fully (that is, the movie's WHY applies to one person only; however, it doesn't make sense regarding the others who are impacted by the movie's WHY). I appreciate that last bit doesn't make a lick of sense but to explain further would mean getting all spoilery.

Would I recommend it...?
As a fine bit of drama, yes. As a horror film, no (though to be fair, I'm not sure why I thought this was a horror movie when I added it to my list for this little blogfest).

Miscellany...
Crispin Glover steals nearly every scene he's in, as the debilitated uncle, in a quiet but compelling way. (And no, I don't think that just because the man's smoking hot.) (Really.) (But dang, that man is smoking hot!)

Ratings...
My Grade: A for a great dramatic film which horror buffs would likely enjoy if they don't go into it expecting a scary movie. Unsettling and disturbing, yes, but not scary.
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=89%, Audience Score=57%

Details, Schmeetails...
I Watched We Have Always Lived in the Castle on Netflix (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other host sites)


This concludes day 14 of

3 comments:

  1. I have the book on my TBR list. I may check the movie out after I read the book.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unsettling and disturbing. both ingredients for an intriguing film :)

    ReplyDelete

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