The story in Livide is a unique and intriguing twist of horror ingredients. I was decidedly impressed with it, by the end, but there are definitely some things in the presentation that could be tidied up.
The acting is weak, which is unfortunate, as so much of the 3rd act of the story depends on image rather than dialogue. There are a couple of fantasy scenes that cross the line into cheesy from artistic, which takes away from the actual intelligence of the plot.
Still, there are also several scenes that have fantastic imagery that is rarely capitalized on in western horror. Ballerinas are freaky, music dolls are creepy, humans as dolls are creepy - and underused! I also loved the image of Jessel repairing Anna's back with a metal webwork. Very Tim Burton in look and atmosphere.
It's also always fascinating to watch what other cultures produce as horror, bc of the differences from place to place. The directorial style, the atmosphere, the score, even the flow of dialogue is so incredibly different from how we present horror in North America.
A couple of changes in casting, better overall pacing in the first two acts, and some polishing on the fantasy angle, and this would be right up there with The Orphanage in perfection. Worth a watch if you are a horror fan that respects the subtleties of the cultural horror divide.
The acting is weak, which is unfortunate, as so much of the 3rd act of the story depends on image rather than dialogue. There are a couple of fantasy scenes that cross the line into cheesy from artistic, which takes away from the actual intelligence of the plot.
Still, there are also several scenes that have fantastic imagery that is rarely capitalized on in western horror. Ballerinas are freaky, music dolls are creepy, humans as dolls are creepy - and underused! I also loved the image of Jessel repairing Anna's back with a metal webwork. Very Tim Burton in look and atmosphere.
It's also always fascinating to watch what other cultures produce as horror, bc of the differences from place to place. The directorial style, the atmosphere, the score, even the flow of dialogue is so incredibly different from how we present horror in North America.
A couple of changes in casting, better overall pacing in the first two acts, and some polishing on the fantasy angle, and this would be right up there with The Orphanage in perfection. Worth a watch if you are a horror fan that respects the subtleties of the cultural horror divide.