Review of Beautiful Prison (2016) by Charles E — 13 Oct 2016

The effects are low-budget, the acting is amateurish, the plot is heavy on jump-scares--and yet, I watched "Beautiful Prison" all the way to its sadistic end. Despite all of its flaws, this movie also manages to be quite entertaining.

I can't quite explain it, but I'll try anyway. I should preface this by noting that like most movies, some portion entirely depends upon the viewer's mood going in. This is no Oscar winning film by far, but for me at least, "Beautiful Prison" does have do an admirable job at creating atmosphere; it has a cerebral, retro vibe to it, making you feel like you are six years old old again, and all of the adults have left the room, leaving you all alone, oblivious to the fact that a horror movie has started up, Now you are caught in its grasp.

Weird, surreal stuff occurs all throughout the movie (part of the plot design), and although, the critic in you can dismiss what you see as contrived and you may sneer at the special effects, another part of you, the child within, cannot look away and is going to have nightmares for a week.