Genres

Visitors Review

addicteddior 2012-05-25 02:20:21

Great Story, Not so great production and direction decisions

The movie has a great twist and entertaining storyline. Had all of thesubtleties of a great horror flick and could have done really well.Money was wasted on gore scenes would have been better served oncostumes and effects. The shooting location should have actually beenPoland because the dialects were unconvincing (and Im not evenpolish).I loved the fact that I was really drawn into the story andwanted to know what was going to happen. The acting was good enough forany horror film and I was even impressed by some of the actors. Theviewer's perspective really gave a mystery aspect and made me feel asconfused as the characters would have been in a foreign situation. Iapplaud that they didn't need subtitles to move the story along. Whenfilm was over I still felt it was very entertaining and satisfied myhorror craving. Just a little low brow with the gore.

pawel-90-675818 2012-05-24 07:01:22

Extremely funny. Well, I am Polish, so what would you expect?

A barrel of laughs, especially when viewed with my nephews. The imageof a "typical" Polish village, named Alvania (BTW: no place in Polandcan be named like this, because there's no "v" in Polish) + those funnylooking medieval priests + the unbelievable Polish language dialogues,had us all ROTFL. It wasn't meant to be shown to Polish audience, ofcourse (who cares about those medieval morons), but it has been shownto us, so here you have it.And one more thing. While not being a religious person myself, I findit somewhat irritating that Christianity is constantly used as avehicle for this kind of debilitating and pointless BS, leaving otherreligions grossly underrepresented. Hey, can't we think of some otherreligion to fit the bill? Perhaps one that would even have made bettersense in this case (if "sense" is the right word)? Anything coming tomind? I have nothing against ridiculing religions or putting them inbad light (it is only a movie after all), but why the discrimination?During the most brutal scenes, like heads being squashed by priests,those priests use verbatim the words of basic prayers to which I amkind of attached by tradition (and which are known to basically everyPolish child, religious or atheist). Very funny indeed. Lots of classand good taste, so typical of a North American movie whose action takesplace in some exotic and necessarily backward European country.

Pratik Vora 2012-05-22 15:13:54

Watch the first 20 mins and the last 20 mins.Cut out the rest

The Shrine got a really good plot but they did not make the most of it.The cast,production,sound effects,costumes were all okay.There were alot of drawbacks like the stupidity of characters doing silly things.Well, the thing about this movie is that half of it is in Polishlanguage and without subtitles it would be almost useless to watch it.In the end you get to know where it's going. It had it's moments butdid not last long. Aaron Ashmore acted well enough. The village was apretty scene too. The others were a bit sloppy. It's just very sad tosee a movie having such potential go down like this.There is nothingTHAT scary in this film but you might just want to watch it.

KyleBel 2012-05-22 02:31:07

Not worth your Time.

Any movie that relies on music to build its suspense, instead of visualcues is already going to be seen as poor. I don't care if this is lowbudget, I watch great low budget films all the time. (Just watched"Stake Land" early this week and it's one the low budgeters that holdtheir weight. Sadly I can't say the same for "The Shrine." Wasteyourself the time and stay far, far away from this one.***********Don't read beyond here Spoilers for first third ofmovie**********If you have chosen to read beyond this point it means that you are notgoing to watch this giant waste of time and I have thus saved you agood thirty minutes better spent watching South Park or something ofthat nature. Oh and the Shrine is a Food Coloring, Corn Syrup spewinggargoyle straight out of "Ghost Busters." Don't take it the wrong waythough this film has nothing in comparison with "Ghost Busters." Poor,poor movie.

2012-05-13 21:44:54

Could have been so much more

This movie had one hell of a great twist...at the very end. It was clear the creators wanted to do something more than a same as everything else horror movie. However, they didn't get to that until the very end. The acting is fine. The sets are nice. Even the plot is ok. Yet the ending shows it could have been so much more. This is a nice, average, though with a very pretty setting, horror film. It has some scares and some fun scenes. I did find it fun to re-watch after finding out the twist; it was actually better the second time around.

snookarosis 2012-05-13 11:35:53

Really surprised me!

I couldn't agree more with the previous reviewer. This goes into my top50 scariest horror movies. Well done and without too much gore, justgood scary storytelling, well-acted too. Seemed to push me buttons andeven the (what I refer to as) cheap thrills made me jump when I knew itwas coming. That impresses me. Try this one. I am an avid horror buffand I give this TWO THUMBS UP! The film maker seems to understand thatthere are certain visuals that scare us all... but may be different foreach viewer. They touch on each of these at least a little. From thesupernatural to death and the dead. From torture and captivity, to themysterious and mystical. There is a scare in here for anyone andeveryone. I really hope everyone enjoys this just close to how much Idid!

2012-05-08 13:09:49

Good movie, a bit on the short side though.

This review is from: The Shrine (Theatrical Rental) (Amazon Instant Video) i liked this movie,downside is; seven bucks isnt cheap for a 48 hour rental and the movie is about an hour and twenty minutes long. theres a couple of people who complained that there werent any subtitles for the polish speaking characters, i personally didnt mind it at all. theres enough going on for you to understand the sceene.To sum it up, im glad i rented the shrine and will watch it again when it comes out on dvd. watch it for yourselves and come to your own conclusion.

kosmasp 2012-05-08 01:26:42

It may seem by the numbers

But it actually isn't. There is more to it. But you will have to sitthrough some pretty familiar horror clichés to get to the "juicy" stuff(if you wanna call it that and no pun intended). The acting is prettydecent (though you'll have the "why's" and "don't do that's" ofcourse), but it is the story that might intrigue you.I don't want to say too much about the story, but after my initialresent, I have to admit, that the movie does have quite a few strongpoints. The photography is good, the production values are good (for amovie with a small budget that is) and overall this is above quite alot of other horror movies.

Rabh17 2012-05-05 15:06:54

Just Deserts in the End

The Negatives voiced by the other reviewers are deserved--The Polish language thing. The Letter 'V' not being in the polishalphabet. The pathetic Backwardness of that fake polish village in the21st Century wasn't believable. . .even by me. And I've never gone pastthe borders of the Tri-State Area here in the US!That Said. . .STILL. . .I watched the movie to the end.The Hard-bitten, Hard-headed Journalist is NOT likable. And in thefirst ten minutes, I'm screaming at the Boyfriend to DUMP HER! But ifhe did that there wouldn't a Movie would there? So now I HAD to watch--because I had to see what would happen to her.So understand that this particular horror sub-genre NEEDS thestereotypical hard-headed fools who keep making the BAD DECISIONS andgo DOWN THAT DARK STAIR no matter that the one person in the partykeeps reminding everyone to TURN BACK NOW. Or the Woman who suddenlydecides that she needs to stop and catch her breath NOW when theyshould be RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES. The Tropes are there, but not forthe Reasons we've come to expect. The story is USING the stereotypicHorror Trope to throw you a different twist in the storyline.So as you get to the latter half of the Movie-- it DOES kind of slamtogether in a way that makes the beginning characterizations fit. TheHorror is Reversed in a way. Because the Horror is NECESSITY. When I got to the end of the movie-- I felt vindicated-- becauseEveryone Got What They so Richly Deserved. The special effects were small and well-done. And the Statue in theMist was Good. Predictable, yes. . .but Good.I wouldn't necessarily call this Horror-Gold, but it's a goodafter-midnight Saturday Night Horror flick.A Warning to Guys-- Don't venture any opinions to the Girlfriend duringor after the movie. You just might be stepping on a landmine.

2012-05-05 03:09:45

Too Many Ideas Spoil The Borsht

Director Jon Knautz's 'THE SHRINE' has a great premise in its first thirty minutes and then becomes bogged down by too many ideas thrown up at the audience. Trying to find a lost colleague, a trio of friends trace his vanishing to a remote village in a superstitious Polish countryside and become embroiled in town rituals and sacrifices all blown out the window by the films surprise denouement. The acting is first rate, the photography is a hommage to the great gothic sixties Euro-horrors of Mario Bava , but is ultimately let down by its off the wall climax which I won't spoil for first time viewers who might like this sort of thing. Director Knautz, however, shows great promise in becoming a first rate Horror director by utilizing his material to the hilt incorporating electrifying shocks and quick cuts to his set pieces. All in all, not a bad way to spend a spooky midnight viewing with friends.

bneathanaprlmoon 2012-05-04 10:18:21

Not bad, genre-blending creepiness.

It starts out like Hostel, becomes more like The Hills HaveEyes/Deliverance, then for a while ventures into "early 2000's Japaneseblurry scary faces" horror, and concludes strongly in the Exorcistgenre, which includes the famous trope namer as well as lesser knownsubsequent works like the Exorcism of Emily Rose (which was anexcellent film, if you ask me).I think a lot of people, particularly Poles themselves, who are gettingoffended at the inaccuracy are missing the point. Just because there'san American movie set in a remote, backwards rural village thatpurports to be in Poland, doesn't mean that the the director, or theAmerican people in general, are under the impression that that's atypical Polish community. We're aware that many more of you live incities that are quite modern, often moreso than our own. Watch a movielike The Village, Gummo, or Winter's Bone and see how American filmshave depicts American backwater burgs, it might make you feel better.Anyway, this was an above average horror movie, definitely good datenight material. The special effects were a little amateurish, but Iprefer them like that instead of cartoony-looking CGI...subpar makeupis much, much scarier. My one caution would be to not bring any Polishfriends along, as the Polish dialogue is apparently terrible...which ispossibly why it was not subtitled.

oiwiein 2012-05-03 22:41:58

Simple yet well planned.

There's a scene in this movie that sticks with me still almost 6 monthsafter watching it and it's the obvious one to everyone I'm sure. Greatsimple idea that I cannot say I've seen ever in a horror movie. Wellenough acted. The ending was OK but the beginning and middle are wellworth the just OK finish. I'd love to see a sequel with some kind ofconclusion to the problem at hand. Like I said the one part that eerilysticks in my mind goes so well with the music they use that I think itshould be in the top 100 creepy movie scenes of all time. I really hopethey do a sequel and this movie could have more depth to it in thefuture but I think the way it was written was not boring and to thepoint and thats really all people need sometimes.

mdnobles19 2012-05-03 03:56:38

The Shrine delivers some shivers

An very inspired throwback of movies like Hostel, The Exorcist, The Fogetc. that has a fast pace creepy and disturbing effects and images anda spooky story. The acting wasn't the best but had likable leads buttheir characters made several stupid decisions that made me roll myeyes and laugh, not too smart people. The movie started off strong witha couple of cheap but good jump scares and one of the ugliest butscariest faces in a horror film in recent memory but the other half ofthe movie went down a very predictable and clichéd path and just didn'tstep up it's game and deliver new tricks just borrowed some but theymade a good effort to make those throwbacks effective but just not upto par for me and I'm being extra hard on it because it had all thepotential in the world to do the best with its intriguing and chillingpremise. Overall I'm not a 100% disappointed with it but just wantedsomething more from it but just got the basics from the genre. Wait fortelevision. 6 out of 10

manoxa101 2012-05-02 15:57:53

~ Unexpected, Unpredictable Chill Flick. ~

This is one spooky flick that took me by surprise. It is pleasantlyunpredictable. Till half way through this movie, I was thinking"sheesh, it's boring & predictable". But then, BAM! things changedtoward the later half and that's when my jaw dropped :) Aaron Ashmore(as Marcus), Cindy Sampson(as Marcus's love) and MeghanHeffern(as their friend Sara) do a good job, the show stopper beingCindy Sampson. She's got the best role, and does justice to it.I'd say the plus points are the creep factor, the unpredictability andthe performances by all. The minus aspects being the lengthy time themovie takes to start spooking you. The horror happens only towards thelast few scenes of the movie.Verdict - A good, late-night fear entertainment :)

2012-05-01 12:06:32

Bava-esque!

When Jon Knautz's Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer was released, Brookstreet Pictures made quite the impression on genre fans but many, including myself, couldn't help but wonder where they were a "one hit wonder," so to speak. Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer had everything a good horror comedy should have but could they reproduce that success with their follow-up? Well, I'm happy to say that filmmaker Jon Knautz and producer/actor Trevor Matthews have indeed succeeded in making a second entertaining film with The Shrine.When you combine an interesting and original concept containing elements reminiscent of the Bava masterpiece Black Sunday with solid cinematography, beautiful locations, grotesque FX and heart-pounding action, your film is bound to turn heads. As The Shrine begins reaching genre fans, I'm certain they're going to find it greatly entertainment, adequately gruesome and thrilling! Without giving too much away, compared to other low-budget films that focus on demonic entities such as Exorcismus, Legion: The Final Exorcism and Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes, The Shrine actually delivers an original story and a genuinely shocking (and cool) final quarter; it's balls-to-the-wall horror.Good acting, buckets of blood and fantastic creature FX by David Scott, what more could you ask for? You simply cannot go wrong with The Shrine. I look forward to Brookstreet's next genre offering.

KALE808 2012-05-01 08:30:14

A Pretty Smart and Effective Horror Flick

A couple of American journalists go to a small Eastern European villageto investigate the mysterious death of a colleague. Initially it seems like this might be another "Hostel" torture/goretype flick, but things are not what they appear in the first two-thirdsof the movie. The director of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer helmed this,and he has a good grasp of the genre.What I liked was the straightforward plot device that is revealed atthe conclusion. Pay close attention to what happens around the 32minute mark because that's the basis for everything that follows.The movie is fairly low budget, so don't go in looking for fantasticspecial effects, but they are serviceable. Also, this is not akeep-you-up-at-night type horror movie. It's more so the type thatmakes you think "What would I have done differently" to avoid whathappened to these ppl.

FlashCallahan 2012-04-29 07:53:58

should have gone with the bees.....

After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group ofjournalists link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland.They travel there hoping to get the story, but as they unravel thesecrets behind this mysterious village, they are suddenly pursued byhostile locals.Unable to escape, they soon become the next victims of ritualistichuman sacrifice.Forced into the gruesome reality of true survival horror, thejournalists soon discover that this village hides a much darker secretthan they could ever imagine....Another month, another rancid horror movie based on a missing person.Like the Wicker man, the hero/s go in search of a missing person, whoselast entry into a journal was when he was in Poland.The journal gives them advice in a roundabout way, advising them tostay away, so they.....go.Getting info from a Young girl, who appears to be only who can speakEnglish is never a good idea, so they follow her.So thats the kind of movie you are dealing with, people going ginto thewoods when they shouldn't, and being chased by pagans.The acting isn't that bad, but the blue screen is one of the worst ihave endured.It's predictable on the verge of offensive, and the extra mark is forone disturbing scene that involves a statue.Don't believe the positive reviews, chances are you've seen this moviea hundred times before, and a hundred times better.

Prolox 2012-04-29 05:13:04

So & so horror flick with some good moments .

The makers behind JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER helmed this more seriousentry in the genre with only so, so results. An investigative reporterher sister & her boyfriend enter a small country to search for amissing college student & instead run into terrified townsfolk toafraid to talk them & a weird religious sect that watches their everymove. As it turns out, the sect has a few dark secrets that they wantto keep hid & when the group stumbles upon a shrine of a demon in asupernaturally enshrouded foggy forest, the motion is set as the cultattempts to kill the intruders who then must mount an escape if theywish to survive. Unnfortunantly they soon find out that the cult soonwill be the least of their worries...THE SHRINE is a film I heard agreat deal about, pretty much anyone who seen it loved it & since Iloved the film-makers previous film I decided to give this one a shot,unfortunately by the time the film ended I was half & half. The acting& directing are well done & the story is interesting in parts, butafter the first half hour, the film settles into a predictable plot &shocks & scares are thin on the ground. The film picks up it's momentumin the final twenty minutes of the film, with lots of great monstermake-up & a pretty chilling conclusion & a decent plot twist, that wasa nice change from the norm. All in all, THE SHRINE was good, far frombeing great, but it should so the trick for non demanding horror fans.*** stars

2012-04-25 14:06:46

Not worth it

A sad attempt at a very unoriginal plot. I skipped through most of this film to see if there was an actual point to it. But much to my chagrin... this was a REALLY BAD FILM. Unbelievable acting. story line going nowhere...abysmal.

scarletheels 2012-04-25 08:45:45

Sincerely creepy movie w/the right amounts of fright & gore

A hard-nosed journalist, Carmen (Cindy Sampson, Supernatural), herboyfriend, Marcus (Aaron Ashmore, Smallville), and an intern, Sara(Meghan Heffern, Almost Heroes), travel to Alvania to investigate thedisappearance of Eric Taylor, the last person of many reported to havevanished after visiting the small Polish village. In the distance is alarge patch of dense fog hovering above the forest, the same phenomenondocumented in Eric's journal. The three of them make their way to thewoods, only to be confronted by a group of men who dissuade the trio toproceed any further. However, Carmen convinces Marcus and Sara to examine the fog followinga confession that her boss thinks she and Sara are back in the statescovering a scoop on bees. Her career is ruined if she doesn't returnwith a killer story. Sara enters the fog first and then Carmen, whileMarcus stays just beyond the fog's edge. At different times, both womenstumble upon a menacing statue, seemingly serving no purpose other thanto scare the bejesus out of anyone who has the misfortune to encounterit. After fleeing the fog, all three are hunted down by the same men whowarned them to leave. Marcus is forced by gunpoint to dig his own gravewhile Carmen and Sara are brought to a secret sacrificial chamber,stripped of all of their clothing and made to wear the same white gownthat they found the deceased Eric dressed in. This is the point of themovie where I almost shut it off, presuming it to be another tortureporn flick. That may be your thing but it's not mine. It turns out that this low-budget horror movie written and directed byJon Knautz is a well-crafted thriller with better acting than most ofits genre, with the exception of Ashmore who appears really damn angryabout everything throughout the entire film. The build is slow butthose who have the tenacity to stick it through will be rewarded. Thisis sincerely a creepy movie with the right amounts of fright and gore. Speaking of gore, there are a couple of scenes in particular that maygive you the dry heaves if you're not a horror veteran but if you canhandle a film like the The Ruins, you can survive The Shrine. I'dendorse this flick to mainstream audiences who want to watch a horrormovie now and then to experience some cheap scares withoutsex/nudity/torture.