Reviews

The Orphanage is quietly evocative, moody and haunting. It is reminiscent of some of Guillermo del Toro's work, (he was one of this film's producers,) and also draws on the traditions of classic horror movies from the 1930s through the 1960s. It is refreshing to see a modern ghost story which doesn't rely on buckets of blood to tell its tale. The cinematography is excellent, the script is well thought out and beautifully executed. The acting is great. Director Juan Antonio Bayona gets fine performances from the entire cast, especially the lead Belén Rueda as Laura. If you are looking for a classically styled horror movie which is creepy rather than startling, this may be right up your alley. Not just a good spooky movie, this is a really good movie regardless of genre.

I saw Spike this weekend at Shriekfest at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles. Having been peripherally involved in low budget movie productions, I know how difficult it can be to bring the collective creative efforts of writers, directors, actors and editors to fruition. While I applaud the apparent intent and ideas of the film-maker Mr. Beaucage, I found the finished movie to be awkward, tiresome and ultimately so frustratingly bad that I can not in good conscience recommend it to anyone. I really wanted to like this film. On the positive side, the creature design and effects were very well done and the actual camera work was good. Unfortunately, this was not enough to make the movie work. Every so often there was a glimmer of non-awfulness, but mostly the wooden performances, asinine plot and the excruciating dialogue combined to make the movie very hard to sit through. It was neither fun nor involving. Some reviewers have compared Spike to a David Lynch or Guillermo del Toro movie. That is unfortunate, since it implies that Mr. Beaucage has created interesting characters and a plot worth contemplating. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Ultimately, Spike was so annoying, it wasn't even possible for me to enjoy it as a bad movie.