Review of Gretel & Hansel (2020) by Thequietgamer — 03 Feb 2020

The Suspiria of this generation. Oz Perkins' dark twist on the classic fairy tale showcases the same kind of slow burn, eerie horror his previous works are known for. Only now with a hallucinatory effect brought on by a use of vibrant colors, mind-bending camera angles, and an oppressive soundtrack.

Gretel & Hansel doesn't just resemble Dario Argento's masterpiece stylistically however. As it too features a plot centered around magic, witches, and the manipulation of young women. It can also be just as difficult to figure out. It's easy to keep track of what's going on at the surface level, but Perkins and Hayes have loaded this with subtext that's more difficult to decipher. A few themes do stick out, but the deeper meaning of it all may have alluded me. I don't feel this is a fault of the writing despite some elements of the story coming off as jumbled or confusing. Instead just a lack of understanding on my part.

Rather than delivering big scares Perkins creates an anxiety inducing atmosphere and lets us writhe in agonized anticipation over that which which never actually arrives while tormenting us with surreal and disturbing imagery reminiscent of Silent Hill. For some this will feel like all foreplay and no orgasm. However, as a fan of this kind of paranoia creating, expectation subverting approach to horror I found the movie to be very effective at getting under my skin and sending spiders crawling up my spine.

An early contender for best horror movie of 2020.

9.