Review of The Shrine (2010) by Ronnie S — 22 Sep 2011

In "The Shrine" an all too familiar plot is saved by clever writing and a sense of fear and intensity that is often lost in the average horror movie these days. This is definitely the sort of film one would enjoy more by simply viewing it without prior knowledge of the overall plot (though I recommend that for most great horror movies); what then, you may ask, is supposed to convince you to see it? Well, the gorgeous imagery found on the poster or dvd cover for one, or just plain seeing Jon Knautz previous movie, "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer"; a hilarious yet bad ass little flick that will keep myself a steady follower of Mr. Knautz for years to come. It may very well be the "Evil Dead II"/"Army of Darkness" of this generation.

Without giving too much away, a small group of pretty 20 somethings are thrown into a land they are unfamiliar with and, as the horror movie gods deem as a damning constant, they have no cell phone service. They soon stumble across a small farming town mystery and the locals are none too happy about it. Here is where the awesome writing and directing come into play; what's going on with this town? what's with this? what about that? I found myself glued to the screen, with possible outcomes swirling through my mind as each scene played out and, though one of them ended up being correct, I still found myself pleasantly shocked by the third act's execution.

Another fine directorial choice that had me applauding was the lack of subtitles for the Polish villagers; it gave the overall tone of the film a bit of eerie-ness and curiosity that would have been non-existent had the subtitles been there. Plus it would have definitely ruined the ending :P.

Any true horror fan would be missing out if they didn't give this little gem and look-see.