Gretel & Hansel

[Ezee E]

WIKI

[Mal]

Impeccable colors and design. Great settings, cinematography... creatively its appealing and tasty. But thats kind of where this stops being notable. The script is sloppy and undercooked, while the direction itself feels amateur. I’ll give the cast credit- everyone works in their roles, but this is frankly something that could have gone straight to netflix if January films didn’t exist.

[Ezee E]

The filmmakers and crew went all out for this. It looks fantastic in a way. Very moody, stylish (if not a little over) but always neat to look at.

It's the storytelling that's pretty bad. The logic of the characters is forced, and for a 90-minute runtime, it certainly meanders after getting to the old lady's house.

I get the feeling that a lot of the story is chopped out. There's a lot of emphasis on the first half of the movie that feels rushed so we can get to the house. I don't know that it would've helped the overall story, as the characters are so one-note, that I'm kind of glad we got to the house.

[Ivan Drago]

I'm of two minds about this. I LOVED the direction in which they took the source material. It has the existentialist melancholy of Mandy and the authenticity of The Witch, while more than once I felt like I was being read a dark fairy tale, albeit in a very good way. The performances are good, the score is good, the cinematography is good, it's constantly atmospheric and creepy, conveying constant dread. . .but the outright moments of terror aren't there, and I feel like they would be if the movie had an R rating. If Perkins and co. wanted to go the dark, hopeless route, they should have gone all out with it. What also doesn't help is that if you know the story, you know where it's going plot-wise to an extent. Even then, it can still be appealing to general audiences as a gateway to other arthouse horror, and I'm very interested to check out Perkins' other films. His directorial style is VERY unique and something that clicks well with me.

[Grouchy]

I'm of one mind about this - I really dug it, and it also left me curious to watch other stuff by Perkins. I'm really digging this new trend of Gothic Horror about fairy tales, in which I'm also counting Robert Eggers's work. I don't think the plot mechanics are meant to be the highlight of this film and I really had no problem with its pacing. I did find the amazingly creepy witch a highlight and loved the ornate dialogue which has a unique sense of humor.

What also doesn't help is that if you know the story, you know where it's going plot-wise to an extent.

But the film deviates wildly from the traditional tale. It doesn't even use the thread of breadcrumbs.

[Ezee E]

But the film deviates wildly from the traditional tale. It doesn't even use the thread of breadcrumbs.

I was waiting for breadcrumbs to have some type of significance... any!

[Dukefrukem]

while the direction itself feels amateur.

Was thinking this the entire time. It so desperately wants to be the Witch or Hereditary but can't conjure up the slightest bit of terror or interest.

[Ezee E]

Was thinking this the entire time. It so desperately wants to be the Witch or Hereditary but can't conjure up the slightest bit of terror or interest.

Could've been too. I still feel like there's 30 mins removed.

[Peng]

I find this right in the middle of the pack in term of Osgood Perkins' first three films. Not so much "elevated horror", more Perkins using his style to take this tale to its Grimm root, even with some story updates and all. Trouble is, the overall update feels half-conceived, working well when our siblings are on the move but reveal itself as underimagined once they situate themselves at the witch's house, making the second half ambling often. It ends on a pretty strong finale though, and Perkins' usual atmosphere of lingering dread, this time added with impeccable production design and fantastical imagery, carry the film during its downtime well enough. 6.5/10