TERRIFIED (2017), A Worthy Halloween Treat

Like many people who enjoy watching movies, October is reserved for horror movies. My personal preference are the Universal horrors of the 1930s and 1940s, and the British Hammer horrors of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. But my wife and I enjoy a good horror film from time to time that was more recent and none have been more blood-curdling than Terrified (2017). 

This Argentinian addition to the horror genre is a refreshing submission from a fledgling director. Written and directed without the usual hubris that we as humans can solve any supernatural problem by basically willing it away, the movie is shot in just a way which evokes a feeling of being lost from the beginning. 

Told in a non-linear format with the vantage point being that of multiple characters, each with their own observations and fears, keeps the movie fresh through the relatively short run time of 87 minutes. But then again, the length of time should never be dictated for commercial value, but in the amount of time it takes to tell the story.

The movie concerns a number of strange events that occur in a small suburban Buenos Aires neighborhood, where a man is accused of beating his wife to death, and a young boy is accidentally killed in the streets. Police rule both incidents as homicide but the truth is even more terrifying. A group of paranormal experts fly into town to investigate, each taking up residence in each of the houses that the reported occurrences happened. What they discover and unearth is not a matter of verification but rather a chilling scenario that we are not alone... and time is running out before the terror spreads beyond the community.

Director Demian Rugna insisted on carefully shooting every scene in such a way that if you blink, you will miss something. This is truly one of those films that you cannot be distracted, and you must pause the film if you venture off to the bathroom. Many of the creepy moments take place beyond our peripheral vision -- a trick that not works for this the of story, but for the plot as well.

Seriously, this is one of the best horror films I have seen in years and a darn shame I missed it when the movie first came out in 2017. (Be sure not to mistake this with a different film of a similar name that came out a year after.)