Under the Shadow (2016)

The actress that plays lead is fabulous, the story is phenomenal. I would love to go on and on about how thoroughly I enjoyed this piece of work but I am afraid to give any spoilers. Watching with subtitles is the way to go, however I know some folks are not fond of them so they would steer away from it solely for that reason, however netflix has dubbed a lot of foreign movies with a long list on language audio. Check it out, so expertly done,

Brilliant. That's all I'm gonna say... Watch it ASAP.

Babak Anvari's directorial debut is something not to miss, if you are a true horror fan. A Persian-language horror film is not something that frequently gets the media attention of the Western world."Under the Shadow" takes place in the 80's during the post-revolutionary war between Iran and Iraq. It follows a family of three living in a Tehran bombarded by missile attacks. The husband is a medical doctor who is called up to the war front to help the wounded, leaving behind his wife and young daughter. The attacks before more and more intense, but yet Shideh, now alone, does not want to leave together with her daughter, Dorsa, to her parents and instead chooses to remain in the apartment building that's crumbling from all the bombing. If the fear of the ongoing war was not enough, a mysterious being called Djinn begins to haunt their house. This leaves them with absolutely no choice at this point, if they leave the house enemy soldiers or bombing could be their demise, if they stay at home the evil spirit might claim their souls.You can actually feel Shideh's desperation as she and her daughter get cornered constantly. Apart from the terrifying atmosphere the film also adds excitement with one or two jump scares.The premise is quite interesting from a foreigner's point of view and to sense the Iranian life and torment during the post-revolutionary war is staggering. The social subtexts the writers are implying is food for thought, leaving the impression of a confined paradise that Shideh had in her apartment packed with a VCR or casual clothing, things that were dangerous to possess."Under the Shadow" is a good horror film that doesn't rely on Hollywood formulas. It's definitely an interesting entry from the Middle East film industry.

After seeing glowing reviews like: 5/5 The Guardian - 98%Rotten Tomatoes4/4Roger Ebert I thought this movie MUST be great! (or at least fairly good). After sitting through a slow building first half the movie just fizzed out. No real tension and very bland. Not at all memorable ... many better movies out there. All the soaring review have me utterly perplexed ...