Terrified (2017)

A suburban town in Buenos Ares experiences supernatural occurrences that put its residents in danger of death or going mad. A group of police and doctors mobilize to try to pinpoint the cause of all this chaos and find a way to stop it.

Terrified is unlike other supernatural films of its kind. First, there isn't really one central protagonist. Each house has its separate phenomenon with a different effect on the residents. One woman dies horrifically from an unseen force ramming her against her shower walls. A man is tormented by a tall nude man that lives in his closet and under his bed until the house consumes him and he loses all mental faculties. Yet another woman's son comes back to her, but as an seemingly inanimate corpse that moves only in short bursts, when no one is looking at him. These incidents are inextricably connected to each other, making a web of paranormal activity. The neighborhood's residents are also connected, complaining about damage caused next door or whispering about each other or even inadvertently causing someone's death.

These superatural occurrences are terrifying to watch, making childhood fears of things lurking down drains, under beds, and in closets scary for adults. Seeing the characters regress and hide under covers to escape is the perfect response and channels what I was feeling. The scene at the beginning with voices coming from the sink and a bubble on the drain pulsing like a breath are only some examples of unique little details that enhance the chilling atmosphere. Many of these scares are restrained and more psychological. Others have elements of body horror or are jump scares. I don't normally like jump scares because they feel so cheap and unearned. These ones are well placed and earned with the sustained tense and chilling atmosphere. Very few of the scares are gory, one very early in the film where it isn't really expected. All types proved to be affective and only one fell a little flat to me. Very impressive.

Most films like this have authorities denying the strange events and blaming family members for deaths or injuries. This one has the creation of a team of various professionals trying to figure this whole thing out. It is outside their respective institutions, but they have gathered to help this neighborhood. I love this departure from a fundamental trope that is so deeply ingrained in the subgenre. I don't even think of authorities as a possibility anymore because it's seen so little. It's so nice to see people realizing something is terribly wrong and actually get together to do what they can to help, even at great expense to themselves. It's heartwarming aspect of a frightening film.

Terrified is such a fun film. The tropes of each situation are slightly off kilter, defying my expectations and keeping me on my toes. The relationship between the people and the scary things that happened to them seemed completely organic and realistic. The only slight disappointment was in the jump scare in the last scene of the film. It was the only scare to feel unearned and a bit of a disappointment to end on. Everything else is so well crafted from the characters to the scares to the story. I genuinely felt for these people and quickly grew invested in the story. There's one moment that was so heartbreaking. It's impressive to go from emotion to emotion and stay effective. I highly recommend this gem and I look forward to more from Demian Rugna.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins