Saint Maud (2020) A victim of false advertising, this was marketed as some kind of supernatural horror film in the vein of Hereditary but is instead a psychological character study about a young nurse (Morfydd Clark) who, after experiencing a traumatic event, slowly downward spirals into an unhinged mental state. Symbolism and suggestion are the real “horrors” of the movie, with the screenplay (by director Rose Glass) relying a bit too much on the title character’s uneven personality and backstory, which we only get glimpses of. Good acting, especially from Jennifer Ehle, but there just isn’t a whole lot of meat on these bones. C
The Cave (2005) Fun monster romp about a group of spelunkers who run into subterranean creatures while investigating a series of uncharted caves underneath the Carpathian mountains. Released the same year as the The Descent and although not as good, or as scary, this features more elaborate make-up FX and some impressive action set pieces, with elements borrowed from Pitch Black and Aliens. B–
The Witch (2015) A brooding atmosphere drenches this intense psychological horror fable about a religious 17th century family outcast by their community and forced to settle on their own isolated farm in the woods. When their youngest disappears, and the eldest son (Harvey Scrimshaw) begins showing signs of possession, the family begin to suspect a witch is in their midst. Director and writer Robert Eggers ignores convention and delivers an authentic account of farm life in the 1600s, putting the family’s trials and tribulations first, with excellent performances from Scrimshaw, Kate Dickie, Ralph Ineson, and especially Anya Taylor-Joy as the eldest daughter. The witch antics are just bonus material, and it all leads to a knockout ending. A–