18 year old Merricat Blackwood (Taissa Farmiga) lives with her older sister Constance (Alexandra Daddario) and wheelchair bound uncle Julian (Crispin Glover) in the family mansion. Six years earlier, Constance was tried for the poisoning deaths of her parents but was found not guilty. She is now a recluse unable to leave the estate. Every Tuesday, Merricat is forced to go into the hate-filled town for supplies. She buries items of evil as protection spells for her beloved sister. Then cousin Charles Blackwood (Sebastian Stan) shows up to entice Constance.
The first half is problematic. The town is full of hate but the movie isn't convincing in its exposition. The confused time periods do not help. I don't like the title cards jumping around in the timeline. Everybody is doing weird acting. Quite frankly, Crispin is acting the most normal and that is not normal. There is one aspect that is not as emphasized. Constance's beauty could be her curse. She could be the ever-present sexual targeting by the men of the town. Of course, that would require the roles of the sisters to be reversed. It makes more sense for the town folks to throw insults at Constance anyways. She is the presumed guilty one. This movie needs to be clarified and simplified and normalized. The saving grace is the last act. I don't really understand why she sets the fire but that whole section is horrifying and poetic. Keep the ending and rework the first half.
The first half is problematic. The town is full of hate but the movie isn't convincing in its exposition. The confused time periods do not help. I don't like the title cards jumping around in the timeline. Everybody is doing weird acting. Quite frankly, Crispin is acting the most normal and that is not normal. There is one aspect that is not as emphasized. Constance's beauty could be her curse. She could be the ever-present sexual targeting by the men of the town. Of course, that would require the roles of the sisters to be reversed. It makes more sense for the town folks to throw insults at Constance anyways. She is the presumed guilty one. This movie needs to be clarified and simplified and normalized. The saving grace is the last act. I don't really understand why she sets the fire but that whole section is horrifying and poetic. Keep the ending and rework the first half.