A Modern Day Exploitation Horror Reimagined
Read Time:2 Minute, 13 Second
TV SERIES REVIEW
Girl at the Window
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Genre: Horror, Thriller
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 2h
Director(s): Mark Hartley
Writer(s): Terence Hammond & Nicolette Minster
Cast: Radha Mitchell, Ella Newton, James Mackay, Karis Oka, Vince Colosimo
Where To Watch: Coming to VOD/Digital Platforms November 4, 2022, from XYZ Films
RAVING REVIEW: The best thing a film can do is to know what it is, and GIRL AT THE WINDOW knows what it wants to be; the only question is, does it become that?
We get a lot of genre potential that does enough to keep itself floating above water for me. This may, at times, sound harsh, but I genuinely enjoyed a lot of aspects of the film. No filmmaker will make a perfect film every time, and without criticism, there’s no room to grow. As I’ve discussed previously, a 2.5-star rating from me is average, right down the middle. So for me, this was on the right side of being average. A lot of things could’ve been improved but
I would say that one of the film's biggest potential strengths is one of its most significant flaws. Director Mark Hartley takes a no holds bar approach to his filmmaking, traditionally focused on documentaries about various film genres; this is his dive into borderline horror/exploitation. I’ve seen a lot of brutal reviews, and while I think those are unjust because of the ludicrous statements made, they also point out some of the more obvious flaws in the film. While the film succeeds in several ways, the tween humor and the darker horror elements don’t seem to mix well.
The homages to REAR WINDOW/DISTURBIA were nearly enough to keep me hooked through the film. This film genre can offer something that straight horror has a hard time with. The ultimate battle of camp vs. overreach is a constant back-and-forth battle, especially in independent films. I just recently watched SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER, and let me tell you, it was pure camp, but it knew that and went for it. Here we have a much more balanced approach that offers enough genuine scares that it can overcome the downfalls.
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Well if it pays homage to Disturbia and Rear Window it would probably keep me hooked too.
For some reason it’s not getting the best of reviews but I thought it was really an interesting way to accomplish it.
Not too bad