This film absolutely chilled me to the bone. Not because it is scary or full of moments where you jump out of your seat but because it is such a perfect representation of what dementia is like. If you've ever had a loved one suffer and have watched them slowly turn into someone they aren't, you will truly understand this film. It is also terrifying when you think about how it runs in families and how the movie ends. The absolute horror of realizing that what is happening to your loved one very well could happen to you because it is genetic. The scene where the grand daughter is trapped in the walls of the house disoriented and confused trying to find her way out is a perfect way to describe the terror that goes along with dementia. This film was superb. If you enjoyed the film Babadook, you'll probably love this because you understand what the film is trying to tell you. The Babadook is about grief and how it can turn someone into a monster, this film is about dementia and how it can turn someone into a shriveled up monster like version of what they once were. Plenty of creepy moments, unsettling at times but unless you've watched someone suffer you probably won't understand this film. Pay no mind to the negative reviews for they did not understand this film, this film wasn't made for them it was made for those who have lived through the familial trauma that is Alzheimer's and dementia. Horror can be a perfect genre to explain the ultimate horror of a real life situation like dementia. It is done so in a way that really makes you think. That last scene really put it over the top for me. As someone who once worked in memory care units and watched people turn into husks, I can tell you the ending is incredible. The mother and daughter have totally different reactions for a reason. The daughter realizes in that last moment of the film that she is going to have to go through this all over again with her mother, as horrifying as it was, she will have to be there for her and hope someone will be there for her if it in fact is passed on and she inherits it herself. The black stuff everywhere is the disease. It represents the emptiness that follows and the confusion. It is dark and ugly, just like the disease. I cannot give this film enough props. The creature at the end that comes out of the grandmother looks amazing. Super scary but at the same time sad. This film would be great to show to a nursing class that is studying genetic, familial Alzheimer's and dementia. They even explain that the property on the house that used to be there was the grandmothers father, and that he wasn't properly cared for and died alone and confused. Even though the grandmother tore that cabin down she kept a piece of it and put it in the house. That window represents the genetic component. It was stained, it was tainted, much like their genes. I absolutely loved this film. I cannot even begin to explain how perfect it actually is.
