A Gothic Horror Tale That Misses the Mark for Me

Read Time:2 Minute, 22 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Raven’s Hollow

– star    

Genre: Thriller
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director(s): Christopher Hatton
Writer(s): Christopher Hatton, Chuck Reeves (story co-writer)
Cast: Melanie Zanetti, William Moseley, David Hayman, Kate Dickie, Callum Woodhouse, Callum McGowan, Mathis Landwehr
Where To Watch: releasing exclusively on Shudder on September 22nd


Grueliningly slow with little to no saving graces, a film that feels more like a fictional story found in the archives of a war veteran who didn’t get to see the front line than the thriller it was billed as. That may be a harsh critique, but a film with this amount of potential failed to miss the mark on all of them.

A story about Edgar Allan Poe discovering the long-lost past of a community and then nothing… I feel like I’m on the outside looking in here, as several other reviewers found the film to be a marvel of paying homage to Poe and offering a film worthy of the title of a gruesome thriller.

Maybe I’ve just seen too many horror/thrillers, and perhaps I’m numb to period pieces that play off of famous icons of the genre. Either way, I didn’t connect the way I wanted to with this. Sure, some exciting moments connected Poe to his well-known history, but as a whole, I just wanted more.

I will say that the film gave me precisely what I wanted from a visual standpoint. This could have easily been a sloppy project without any heart. Instead, we had the perfect atmosphere that made the film feel like you could find a heart beating under any of the floorboards in the movie. The potential was there, including a cast that did their best with what they were given but sadly couldn’t rise above the stale script and story that wanted to be more than it was.

I try not to knock films because I respect everything the industry does when they can create a movie from nothing. So even though this wasn’t what I wanted, that doesn’t mean you should write it off. So much of a film review depends on how you feel and when you watch a film. Maybe I was having an off day, or perhaps the movie wasn’t good; either way, you should still check it out and judge for yourself!

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
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %

Average Rating

5 Star
0%
4 Star
0%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous post Bond, James Bond
Next post My First Film From the San Sebastián International Film Festival