A Major Disappointment

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

A family are staying at their holiday home in Sitges in Catalonia, Spain, and one of the kids, Cristian, is fascinated about the myth of Melinda - a spirit of a woman who supposedly haunts the labyrinth outside the house grounds. Cristian gets more background stories regarding Melinda from a family friend, Carlos, but these versions of events are much more sinister than the version he already knew. Determined to see if there is any truth to the stories of Melinda, he and his sister, July, document everything they can. However, after their dog goes missing one day, things soon start taking a horrible turn for the worse.Atrocious is a POV "documentary" style of film and while we all know that's not an original style anymore, the film is still very good. Making a labyrinth the subject matter for the myth of Melinda was good because they can be creepy enough through the day if you get lost, but to be lost in one at night (especially the one shown in the movie) and knowing of a myth surrounding the labyrinth is downright terrifying.The night scenes are obviously where the movie escalates, and they ARE scary. You watch intently as Cristian tries to make his way out of the labyrinth at night as you never know what is going to happen. Even when he's supposedly safe in the house at times after, there is still that unsettled feeling of "what's going to happen?" The movie may be considered a wee bit slow for about the first 30 minutes or so, but I didn't feel that it was. For me it was all a good build up to the inevitable scarier scenes and climax of the movie.The actors are all very believable in their parts, and do a really good job in making it seem like a real documentary of events. The end scene of the movie is a nice touch to make it that wee bit more convincing too (obviously can't say anything else it will give it away).If you enjoy watching movies of this style then there's a good chance you'll enjoy Atrocious. Good film and well recommended.

At first I didn't really know if I should even watch it, since we have seen so many found footage movies already, and he only got 4.8 points here. But then a friend told me I have to watch this, and he was right! I have no idea why this movie got so few points (except perhaps because the end was such a let down), it has deserved more!!! This movie has a very thick atmosphere,especially SPOILERSPOILER all the parts done in this labyrinth are awesome. During the days you already get an eerie atmosphere, but during the night shots it is simply amazing !!! SPOILER END Another big plus for me is that at no point I asked myself why the hell are they still filming ??? SPOILERSPOILER Fernando Barreda Luna found a pretty clever solution for that, they needed the night view of their cameras to see something in the dark. They couldn't use their flashlights or who ever was after them could have easily found them. SPOILER END I must give it to him, that was a clever idea, and it fitted in really natural. You don't get the feeling OK, he had a clever idea here, no, it is just a part of the plot that I didn't even really realize during the movie. Only after it I suddenly thought "Hey, that was clever, since usually that's exactly the point where found footage films mess up" Usually EVERY found footage film has this weak point that you ask yourself why are they filming this, but he managed to find a good way to explain it, that felt in no way artificial or anything like that.I also really liked how he build up the suspension really slow but steady. Often you think that now something really bad will happen SPOILERSPOILER for example when the camera observes the dog at night, but nothing big happened,and yet you are left with a really unsettling feeling. SPOILER END Towards the end the suspension is so tight it is almost unbearableSPOILER for example when he is sitting on his bed after he fled to his room and barricades himself in. That scene is pure genius, you wait and wait that the axe is coming through that door, and the suspension was already near the limit before already,and then he just sits there. NOTHING happens for well over 2mins, yet this is one of the most unnerving scenes in the whole movie ! That one scene really shows the quality of Fernando Barreda Luna. In those 2 minutes your head is spinning like a roller-coaster, despite the fact nothing happens. This is so hard to do, but he pulls if of like a boss ! RESPECT !!!Now so far the movie was an absolutely brilliantly done film, but as soon as that door opens he suddenly messes up completely !!! It starts with the first time that he is filming where I thought why the hell is he filming this. So far the filming was always a logical part of the plot, and now this,and it is only downhill from now on ! This sudden introduction of a new character, the crazy axe killer, feels completely artificial, like he had some footage left from another movie and needed a few more minutes of film, so he used what he had lying around ^^You also get the feeling he had no idea how to end the movie,and suddenly they started shooting and he had to come up with something in a hurry. I mean the introduction of that crazy chick at the end could have been a good idea, if the film would have been at least 20 minutes longer, so he has time to really tell her story, but like this ? You also don't get to see how the 2 older siblings end. etc.etc. it is all just a big mess in the end SPOILER END

While watching Atrocious, my expectations were low - probably because I have been desensitised by the slew of found footage horror movies that have cropped up in the last 10 years starting with the Blair Witch project and culminating with the Paranormal Activity trilogy. I am certainly a fan of the genre - Rec 1 & 2 (Spanish version) are two of the best examples of this type of film.Rest assured however that even though this film is quite slow most of the way through with unpacking the story and the camera work is extremely shaky the overall experience is entirely worthwhile - it will make you feel suitably foolish (as I did) for having made assumptions about what kind of a movie you were watching.Good things come to those who wait, and I am eager to see more from a genuinely smart horror auteur like Mr. Luna.

Although quite a short film, I found this to be very enjoyable. I have read quite a few mixed reviews on this title, so I'd thought I'd write this review and get right down to the basics and summarise the general points of this film. As mentioned the film is short (75 minutes to be exact) but with a film of this type you really don't notice due the build up of suspense. The majority of the film is spent building up and heightening suspense for the viewer to a climax of thrills and jaw dropping moments. Adding unnecessary scenes purely to length the film is pointless so the running time of an hour and a quarter is justified in this case. The only other Spanish films that I've seen of this type are "Rec" and "Rec2" which I rate quite highly, and it's good to see that "Atrocious" keeps up with these titles. It seems that the Spanish can pull off a good 'handycam horror' when they want to. Some reviewers complained that the camera shots throughout the film were too shaky. This was done on purpose to create the effect of amateurism and realism. According to the director, many films that use the same effect throughout their films, seem to lose the amateur style and become more professional as the film goes on ie. losing it's authenticity. Also, none of the actors were given a full script so they would learn the story as shooting progressed to add to the realism. The best part of "Atrocious" for me was the waiting and expectancy of something to pop up when in the thick of it and the director did a great job not letting you see too much before you should. Sometimes you have nothing to fear but fear itself! Along with a great twist, this film is definitely one I would recommend. It's not going to win any awards but it certainly sets out to do what it intends to do, which is get you involved in the story, get you a little intrigued and then make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up! 75 minutes well spent!