A New Horror Film That Goes a Little Too Far
Read Time:2 Minute, 18 Second
MOVIE REVIEW
Matriarch
– 
Genre: Horror
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 25m
Director(s): Ben Steiner
Writer(s): Ben Steiner
Cast: Jemima Rooper, Kate Dickie, Sarah Paul, Franc Ashman, Keith David Barlett
Where To Watch: Streaming exclusively on Hulu on October 21, 2022
RAVING REVIEW: If the film had stayed down to earth, it could’ve been one of the best psychological horror films of the year.
Unfortunately, director Ben Steiner tried to make the film fly before learning how to walk, and it quickly lost its steam and went off the rails. Lead Jemima Rooper (THE BLACK DAHLIA, LOST IN AUSTEN) gave a brilliant performance but couldn’t overcome the story's sharp turn that went into weird for the sake of being weird. Arthouse horror, or as some call it, “elevated horror,” is nothing new; the sub-genre has been around for almost as long as cinema itself, with 1920s THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI and 1922s NOSFERATU existing before the horror genre was even a genre. My issue is that it seems like everyone has jumped on this boat as of late, and instead of crafting brilliantly thought-out stories, they just begin throwing whatever they can at the camera to see what sticks. Although to be fair, this isn’t new, with films like ERASERHEAD and VIDEODROME going all out for that shock factor.
Where MATRIARCH differs is that I was genuinely intrigued with the story and the “what-ifs” of everything happening for a good portion of the film. This is where Rooper’s performance stood out to me; the first interaction after “the change” packed such a wow factor I was quite literally on the edge of my seat because of the tension in the scene.
I enjoyed so much of the film, and that was the saving grace that kept it from having a much lower rating. Similarly to how HEREDITARY kept me intrigued enough with director Ari Aster to come back and watch MIDSOMMAR the following year. Unfortunately, just as in those cases, two-thirds of a great movie doesn’t make an entire great film. Many will disagree, and if you enjoy those types of films, this may be right up your alley.
MATRIARCH spills over exclusively on Hulu this Friday, October 21, 2022
For more reviews and my YouTube channel, please visit linktr.ee/Overlyhonestmoviereviews
Follow me on Instagram, Letterboxd, Twitter, and YouTube. Find my social media accounts on most platforms simply by searching Overly Honest Movie Reviews.
I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please say hi or send me any questions about all things movies.
Happy
100 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
1
0
Actually, a strong networking connection brings you more client leads, joint venture, partnership, writing, and marketing opportunity (if you’re a freelancer like me), sales, traffic and many more.