THE NESTING. (2015) DIRECTED BY QUINN SAUNDERS. STARRING JODY QUIGLEY, KATRINA LAW AND LILI BORDÁN. REVIEW BY SANDRA HARRIS. ©
I watched this film for the first time
over Halloween last year, when it formed part of the Irish Film
Institute's 2015 Horrorthon. Unfortunately there were some sound
issues with the film so I didn't get to enjoy it fully in all its
glory but, even without the problems, I could tell that it was one of
the sub-genres of horror I love the most. I'm not just saying that. I
really mean it, haha.
You know those horror films where a guy
and a gal move into a gorgeous old house in the American countryside,
a house that looks as if it might have been built back around the
time of the notorious Salem Witch Trials? The house usually stands on
its own isolated bit of land and it's a deliciously creepy old
monument, with a basement and an attic that have just got to
be haunted...!
Guy and gal
move into house, anyway, and weird stuff starts happening and it
often turns out that the house used to belong to a wrongly-accused
witch back in the Salem times and now the house is haunted by that
witch who can't rest in peace until she clears her name or gets
justice or revenge for herself in some way? I've seen many films in
this vein and I always enjoy them immensely.
Well,
THE NESTING, also
known as APPARITION but
I think THE NESTING suits
it better, doesn't go
down the witchy route but they've certainly got the house for it,
anyway. I was thrilled when I was given the chance to review this
excellent horror film because it's right up my street. Let's take a
look at exactly what does happen
in this atmospheric and beautifully-shot scary movie.
Doug
and Lori are the young couple in question. Lori is thrilled skinny
when Doug proposes and suggests that they leave their Philadelphia
home and spend the rest of their lives together in this fabulous old
country house which, as I said, could totally have
been around in witch-hunting times.
I must say,
for a nerdy chap with an unfashionable haircut, Doug is certainly
talented at attracting the undying (or even dying...!) devotion of stunning-looking
brunette females. Lori is a real looker and so is Jamie, the local
graduate student girl who comes into his life after Lori is tragically
killed in a car crash.
Doug's
best friend, himself a nerdy enough type also, has a knockout
brunette girlfriend as well. Both men definitely seem to be punching
above their weight, heh-heh-heh. Maybe it's because they both have
big jobs in 'city' finance, or maybe the director was bezzie mates
with the chap who owns the 'Gorgeous Brunette Females
Acting Agency...!' Good on ye,
lads, anyway. Why shouldn't dweebs with their hair parted on the wrong side
get the hot girls for a change?
Things go
downhill altogether for Doug after Lori's death. He holes up in the
house that's nowhere near finished being decorated and chooses to
wallow in his misery rather than do as his friends suggest and
re-join the land of the living.
He pushes
Jamie away repeatedly, but Jamie, the beautiful girl with a history
of being in abusive relationships who's had her eye on him even since
before Lori died, is a persistent little cuss and she refuses to be
thwarted. Well, you know what these desperate single women can be
like when they've got the bit between their teeth. You might as well
ask a pitbull to put down the thick juicy steak between his slavering
chops. Tsk, tsk. Women. Sometimes they're their own worst enemy...!
When
Doug and Jamie get together, the nightmare really begins for them
both. What ensues is a VANILLA SKY-esque
kind of mix of reality versus fantasy that does Doug's head in
completely and places Jamie in real danger. Does she deserve what she
gets? After all, she pushed Doug into a relationship before he was
ready. She wouldn't take no for an answer. As she's made her bed, so
to speak, must she now lie in it? Well, you guys can be the judge of
that yourselves.
Have
you ever seen VANILLA SKY, by
the way? Tom Cruise has never looked more toothsomely handsome
playing David Aames, the sexy millionaire playboy whose life takes on
nightmarish qualities when he can no longer distinguish fact from
fiction or reality from fantasy. Don't feel too sorry
for him, however, as whatever reality he's in he's got either Cameron
Diaz or Penelope Cruz for company. Who bloody cares if
he's awake or dreaming? Seems like he's onto a winner either way, if you ask me...!
THE NESTING is
very VANILLA SKY-ish
in places, especially towards the end. Methinks the director was a
fan, heh-heh-heh. No harm in that. VANILLA SKY is
one of my favourite films. It helped me to get over a bad break-up
back at the start of the 'Noughties.
Losing myself in its sexy
visuals and terrific soundtrack totally helped me to forget about my
lousy life for a couple of hours every week for nearly two months.
Yep, that's how long films stayed in the cinema back then in the Dark
Ages...! It's not like that nowadays.
Anyway,
the ending of THE NESTING is
just brilliant. I really enjoyed it. I'd actually be looking forward to seeing what
director Quinn Saunders does next, that's how good this supernatural
horror film is. It's getting a much-welcomed UK release this week
(supermarkets and digital platforms, etc.) via
JINGA FILMS and
SIGNATURE ENTERTAINMENT and
it'll be well worth the few quid.
To
conclude, one thing about the film that really gladdened my heart was
the apparent ability of wives and girlfriends to give their blokes
endless grief and emotional bullshit even after they (the
women) have
passed on into the afterlife. Brilliant! Men totally have that
coming, the little rascals.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY OF SANDRA
HARRIS.
Sandra Harris is a Dublin-based novelist, film blogger and movie reviewer. She has studied Creative Writing and Film-Making. She has published a number of e-books on the following topics: horror film reviews, multi-genre film reviews, womens' fiction, erotic fiction, erotic horror fiction and erotic poetry. Several new books are currently in the pipeline. You can browse or buy any of Sandra's books by following the link below straight to her Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B015GDE5RO
You can contact Sandra at:
http://sandrafirstruleoffilmclubharris.wordpress.com
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