Watch this film, knowing what you get yourself into watching and this thought alone will make you enjoy it. Kevin Bacon is always fun to see acting and he does a good job here, carrying most of this film literally on his shoulders. The cinematography is eye-pleasing and the music and atmosphere immersive. Together with a sufficient run time which does not get long and tiring, these elements make it a good combo for a film to watch if you have no better alternative.
The main problem in this film is the dialogue and generally the script. Its difficult to say this is a great psychological thriller while its dialogue... kinda sucks. Luckily there is not that much dialogue in the second half of the film, so you can enjoy a bit the experience of a thriller which is not meant to jump scare you, but to give you an eerie feeling overall. 6/10
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I rented this solely because Kevin Bacon was in it. And he was just fine in this movie, as he always is. But, there were so many things thrown out that were never dealt with, never explained. The ending was absurd. Kevin Bacon says he has to stay at the house and his wife says Okay, bye then. Really? Her affair was never was discussed. She's never really remorseful. I did like how they supposedly sent the listing for this house to each other, telling us that the "owner" did this to lure Kevin Bacon there. Maybe if these things had been fleshed out more it would have been better.
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gabrose519 June 2020The acting was meh, the writing was meh, but I loved loved loved the camera work. Straight lines/angles on screen and focused reflections and stark depth of field stuff, all relating to the movies story now that I think back on it. Simple yet impressive light effects.
I loved Stir of Echoes so I wanted to give this one a try, and this one kind of emulates that same "what's actually going on here?" theme that most psychological thriller's seem to have. While this movie didn't have great story pacing as Stir of Echoes did, it still held my attention fairly well. It got a bit confusing late in the 3rd act but the very ending cleared it up enough. Confusing to the point of almost hating the movie lol! But the last few lines worked well and made me go, "Ohhhhhh, that's what it meant..." so it wasn't as bad as it could've been.
ALSO - Those are some major red flags for an AirBnB when multiple townsfolk are raising their eyebrows at you staying there, right?!
I'd recommend it if you liked Stir of Echoes and enjoy Kevin Bacon, and if you like good camera work. Honestly the cinematography saved it for me.
6/10 -
tomatechines29 August 2021Really boring movie, very repetitive no real character development or story dept. The movie is very much previsible and the end is really terrible.
The main character decides to accept his past mistakes and "pay for them" while he didn't kill his ex wife he was just omise.
Although his current wife is being unfaithful right now and nothing happens to her.
It creates a double sense of morela while consider the main character omission about his ex wife suicide a bigger sin than his current wife unfaithful behavior as something minor
I would give 3 stars if at least the wife had rot in hell instead of him... terrible movie. -
onexmillion18 June 2020A lot better than many of the horror / thrillers coming out these days, so not too sure why so many negative reviews. Good acting, good suspense. Does a pretty good job for small budget movie.
It's more of an eerie suspense thriller rather than a jump scare, so if you're after constant scares, this might not be for you. Certainly got us hooked right till the end. -
bangel332218 June 2020Was really looking forward to this...but it was so unbelievably boring. There were a few good scenes in it, but not enough. These people must be desperate for money, cos I'm not sure how you can show up to work after reading this script. Even horror films need a point; some sense of direction...this film was missing all the elements. Skip it.
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billbraskeyus20 June 2020Don't believe the simple minded negative reviews. It was interesting, and kept you guessing. It definitely was NOT boring like others have mentioned. I found it to be creepy and kept me on the edge of my seat. Give it a chance it's definitely worth it.
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scottpowell-1465118 June 2020This is a slow paced movie to nowhere. They try a few jump scares that don't pan out and plot that was very predictable. Just Pass on this one.
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silva_e_souza19 June 2020There is a little problem here. There is written that "A screenwriter travels to a remote house in Wales with his family so that he can write the sequel to his big hit film, but he begins to regret his decision after suffering from a severe case of writer's block. " This is probably from another movie, because he is not a writer. He is an ex-banker and there is no writer's block, of course... But the film is medium and Kevin Bacon is great !
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golt7318 June 2020Poor Kevin Bacon. Blumhouse had truly added some absolute duds to its collection between this, Fantasy Island and Ma. Did they forget what horror was? The scariest thing in this movie is 61-year-old Bacon and 34-year-old Amanda Seyfried, who should just simply give acting up. The pace is sloooooow, the story has been done before and better in basically the same type of plot as What Lies Beneath. It's just trash. Skip it and call it another reason to hate 2020.
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tkhissidoha22 June 2020First of all this is not a horror movie, it's a psychological horror. The point was not to create a scary story or whatsoever, it was more the psychology of the person, the physical loop represents the mental loop, it kinda portrays living a lie and not being to live with yourself until you finally break free.. The dialogue is probably not the best out there but it was not stupid and empty either, more of a decent regular dialogue, but other than that I really enjoyed the movie it kept me interested and glued to the screen, the twist was there, the suspense was there, the cast is amazing and the aesthetics are beautiful (especially the choice of the house, if you actually dig and look for that house you will realize that the choice was smart).. I could go longer about this but just trust me when i say, if you're into superficial horror movies this movie is not for you, if you enjoy psychological horror and interpretations then go ahead and watch it !
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katherine-bernardi12 August 2020As a horror movie fan, and film school graduate, Im very forgiving of horror movies. I know how hard it is to come up with a new idea, something that isnt over played. The beginning starts out strong, its watchable, interesting, good premise. Good acting, and it all just falls apart at the end. All of it, even the acting. The last scene, Amanda Seyfried looks at her husband and just nods 'ok' when he says he has to stay. No questions, no fight, no anything. Even his daughter just looks down. Im sorry, but if my husband told me he just killed someone and was staying in some hell house, id have a lot more reaction. That aside, it could have been a really great movie, but the ending just killed it. It fell apart so fast, I was shocked. As soon as they start walking outside, it becomes a illogical mess. Is it worth a watch? yes. It's better than most junk these days. Does it deserve an award? no way. Will I watch it again? No. I feel like had more effort been devoted to the last quarter, it could have been a great movie. It's an original idea, great actors and unfortunately had bad last half screen writing.
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wrensphotos11 September 2022This movie isn't necessarily bad, it's just not that original. The plot itself just feels very overused: The whole idea of staying in a house that's haunting the people whom are visiting is the plot of so many films, so it was almost as if I had already seen this before. The murder mystery aspect was okay, but nothing spectacular. It's also just not very frightening honestly, which is disappointing for a horror film. The acting is pretty good, which is to be expected from the leads as they're incredibly talented people. While it is entertaining at times, there's better movies out there. Just overall a very a mediocre film.
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karlxcrozier20 June 2020Wasted 90 mins of my life waiting on a twist that never came.. Skip this one for sure.
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kthnya110822 June 2020The idea of doors appearing and the geometry not quite being right is literally something that has happened in many of my nightmares. And as an elementary school teacher and third parent to a 9 year old, the want to protect Ella was an added layer that has not been in my nightmares yet, but I definitely felt that anxiety. Some of the plot was a little more of a plot device, like why Theo and Ella had to stay for one more night, I will give that. But overall, I liked it.
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ryan_sy18 June 2020Its hard to come by effective horror/thriller movies these days, and I'm glad I came across this one. The scares were properly spaced out and effective, the direction was tight, and the child actor was a bright spot in the film. Add good performances by Bacon and Seyfried and you have a small, but well-balanced cast.
I also liked that the isolated location added to the sense of dread built up during the movie.
Side note- Kevin Bacon seems timeless! He has been effective over a wide range of genres and films and does not disappoint here.
Watch this movie -
mvahidalizadeh20 June 2020First of all, I enjoyed watching Kevin Bacon playing his character. He is talented and he has a lot of experience. So, he was a very good choice for a complicated character like Theo. Also, I saw nice acting from Avery Tiiu Essex (Theo's daughter). She is talented. The story is very fascinating. It is the story of a family that goes to a special house for a vacation. Theo is suspected of killing his ex-wife. The movie is well-made. Most of the story is happening in the house. In my opinion, the director could benefit from more locations. The background noise and music were awesome. I liked the movements of the camera and the angles of the camera in different scenes. In summary, I recommend watching this movie to horror fans.
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saadgkhan19 June 2020You should have left - C (Mediocre)
The story about a haunted house and marriage is mashed into one setup which goes nowhere. We're being reminded 50 times Kevin Bacon is Old, Amanda Seyfried is obviously looked more like his daughter and young girl his granddaughter so just because he was married once before he is her grandpa's age.
The movie regardless of it's characters relies heavily on dream sequences, shadows, opening doors and jump scares. The production value is good and has face value for the actors but there is no story to keep you interesting in element of surprise or scare. All you see in first one hour, they are dreaming and getting scared and in last 30 mints the reason for the house and why he earned it. Which you know from the getgo, hint; he did something bad.
Only thing works in this movie's favour is that it's an hour and half with good production value rest is all bleak. -
I'm pretty sure the people giving this such a low rating were expecting this to be another dime store horror, which it isn't. This is a slow burn psychological thriller with some horror aspects. There are some mild jump scares but this is more like if M. Knight Shyamalan wrote Groundhog Day and set it in the Amityville House minus the devil. It wasn't prefect, but it wasn't bad either. Great performances and beautiful scenery. I'd watch it again to see what I missed the first time.
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bluecashmeres20 June 2020This movie was dumb. Wait until it's free and you have NOTHING to do.
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songod-9500321 June 2020Horror\thriller fans are a strange bunch. They complain endlessly that the genre is stale and offers nothing but retreads of trope filled cliche ridden films; or remakes of prior successful films that usually ought to be left alone. Then when something new comes along... they hate it!
As Shakespeare said centuries ago, "There is nothing new under the sun", so it is with "You Should Have left". What is new here is the approach. You do not really get the full gist of what is going on till nearly the end; yet throughout there is a cloud if ill ease that hovers over the characters and their dwelling. Something is "up" but what it is (a haunting, a possession) is a mystery.
Excellent performances from Amanda, Kevin, and young Avery keep us caring about the characters (esp little Avery who often seems to be on the verge of tears) while director David paces the film with a firm grip and fills the screen with the aforementioned dread.
Yet critics pro and armchair have taken a dislike to the film. Say it's boring. Say it's without scares or thrills. Well I say then stick to the stuff you usually complain about - cliche characters in a film filled with jump scares and buckets of Max Factor blood.
"You Should Have Left" is a gem. -
mradarley-4766125 June 2020Thought I would add a quick review as there is a lot of negativity around this film. I'm suggesting it's a classic but it's fine as it is. Kevin Bacon is good as ever and it's a well put together story I'd probably a bit obvious. It's plenty creepy enough and at 90 minutes worth a watch in my opinion.
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KeriJoe18 June 2020Well, I will be quite brief because there is nothing extraordinary here that needs to be explained, reviewed or analysed as this flick is so boring I nearly fell asleep for a year during watching it. Nothing happens in this latest Blumhouse movie. It is not horror, it is not a thriller, there is no tension or any kind of negative characters, there is nothing here to be reviewed, literally. Shame on you David Koepp, it seems you are getting too old now!
You should definitely skip this one. -
FeastMode1 June 2021This movie isn't bad. I was never bored or annoyed that i was watching it. But it didn't amount to much. And it was very predictable. In the end, i found it to be pretty lame (1 viewing, 5/31/2021)
SPOILERS
i don't understand why they would spoil the ending with 30 minutes left in the movie. It's legit baffling. The store manager says "people have always stayed in that house. Some don't leave. The right ones usually find the place." in other words, he really did kill his wife and he will be stuck in that house forever. Thanks writers. Smh. -
Fella_shibby18 June 2020Warning - it's not a horror film, more of a drama n mystery but tediously prolix.
David Koepp as a writer is phenomenal but as a director he is lazy and he proved it once again with this film. The film gets tedious after a while n apart from the star cast (Kevin Bacon) n the lovely locations, it has nothing good. There is unnecessary hide n seek inside the house. There is no tension but monotonous nightmares. The end was predictable for me. Generous with a 6 cos of Bacon n the nice locations.
Some moron has put up the synopsis of Secret Window regarding a writer moving in a secluded cabin to overcome writer's block.