Terrified (2018)

October 26, 2018

Directed by: Demián Rugna

Written by: Demián Rugna

Starring: Ariel Chavarría, Maximiliano Ghione, Norberto Gonzalo


Overview: I kept coming across this movie on Shudder and had heard high praise about it on the internet so I decided to give it a view. I was not sure what to expect, but I was really impressed by the film. Paranormal films are usually not my thing (Slasher fan through and through), but this one creates a really compelling story with genuinely scary moments. The director's pacing is what really makes the film so great. Demian Rugna knows how to use quiet and slow points to cause the viewer to drop their guard only to ratchet up the terror at those moments.



Synopsis: The film begins with a man terrified because he is hearing voices. Later, a neighbor is woken up by banging noises which he first thinks is another neighbor doing construction. However, when he opens up the bathroom door he sees his wife being smashed against the wall, over and over again, although there is no one there with her. The movie moves on to a bunch of paranormal experts and cops searching this neighborhood in Buenos Aires. They quickly realize there is a paranormal presence in the area tormenting its residents and feeding on their bodies. To make matters worse, the paranormal entity seems to have the ability to cause people to see things that aren't there and to operate in other realities that can only be viewed from different perspectives. At the entity consumes the lives of more and more professionals, we the audience are left wondering what is happening and if anyone is going to be able to get out alive.

The Good: The film is actually terrifying! I love how the director/writer created so an interesting nighmarish paranormal world but did not explain its origins or its larger function. This will be disappointing for some viewers who like to have everything explained for them, but I think the unknown is much scarier. It also gives the viewer's imagination the opportunity to come up with their own ideas. The pacing is what really stands out in this film. Rugna is able to keep the viewer transfixed for the entire film, from the moment we see the woman being smashed against the wall until the very last scene. It is the skilled combination of quiet and scary moments that keeps the viewer terrified. The monsters themselves are frightening, reminding me of something out of The Grudge. That nearly human quality they have makes them so visually unsettling. Lastly, I love the use of different realities and perspectives that the film looks at. This makes the monsters more terrifying because they could be right in front of us and we could see them, only if we adjusted our perspective.

The Bad: Rugna is forced to use CGI to create many of his monsters and because of this, many of them look exactly like what they are, Computer Generated monsters. I wish he could have figured out a way to do this with practical effects instead but he probably didn't have the budget for it. Another downside is that there are no well developed central characters to follow for most of the movie which makes the film feel disorganized and confusing.

Gore: 4/5

Nudity: 0/5

...what's your thoughts?