Penumbra

Creepy And Amusing: This Argentinean Thriller Is Oddly Entertaining, But Not Particularly Horrifying
Following the oddball cult hit "Cold Sweat," the Argentinean filmmaking team of Adrian and Ramiro Garcia Bogliano return with "Penumbra." "Cold Sweat" was not a particularly good movie, to my mind, and yet its sheer madness made it strangely alluring. When I settled in to watch this movie, I was not aware of the connection but it didn't take me long to link the two movies based on a similar tone. It's very distinctive and recognizable! So if you like one of these films, you will undoubtedly embrace the other. So over-the-top as to veer into comedy, it's hard to take either very seriously. And yet, there's something unexpectedly compelling and different enough about the style to keep you interested. "Penumbra" is marketed in the horror category but, in truth, it probably won't satisfy viewers expecting big scares and thrills. At best, this is an exercise in creepiness. And, as I said, due to the broadness of the script and performances, I was more amused than terrified. For me, that...

surprisingly good.
Though it's akin to a few movies. This is a fresher take on a movie about a type of cult. The writers, director and producer did a great job with this.

INTERESTING & SUSPENSEFUL
This is more of a dark suspense / mystery movie with a creepy bondage finale and it only becomes a horror movie in the last 20 minutes. Still, the build up is good and menacing with the arrogant businesswoman becoming absolutely unbearable by the time her karma catches up to her. This woman is sickeningly arrogant and rude as hell to EVERYONE and thanks to her bad choices she is on her own when the evil kicks in. Christina Brondo deserves a lot of credit because she is so convincing and her performance is filled with subtle inflections and expressions that make her a talent to watch. She also deserves credit for enduring a lengthy & stressful scene where she is bound and gagged and sneaks around the creepy apartment looking for a way out of the madness. The direction is stylish without overdoing it and the cinematography is very sharp. There are no boring parts to speak of and there is always a sense of menace in the air even during the dialog scenes in broad daylight. Overall this...

Click to Editorial Reviews