Movie Review: Intruders (2011)

Intruders (2011)

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring: Clive Owen, Carice van Houten, Daniel Bruhl, Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Ella Purnell, Izan Corchero
Rating: R
Running Time: 100 minutes
Synopsis: Two children living in different countries are visited nightly by a faceless being who wants to take possession of them.

Don't go into this expecting a jump scare, gore filled horror movie. You won't find that here. This is a slow building psychological horror where you'll find that you have to pay attention. That's a downfall for some viewers simply due to a slow pace. The director, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, isn't unfamiliar with the horror genre. His previous foray was directing 28 Weeks Later. On this film, the screenplay wasn't handled by the director. Instead, those credits go to Nicolás Casariego and Jaime Marques.

Luisa and Juan

The film follows dual storylines that tie together. It begins in Madrid with Juan telling a story to his
mother, Luisa, about a monster he calls Hollowface. This particular monster wishes to be loved and thinks he can achieve that by stealing the face of a particular child. Juan begins seeing this monster. Is it just a story or is his monster real?

At the same time, we're introduced to Mia in London. She finds a wooden box in a tree at her grandparent's house. In the box, is an unfinished story. Mia begins to tell the story, adding on to it as she goes along. Shortly afterward, the monster begins to appear in her bedroom. Hollowface has decided to take Mia's face instead. Both parents, Luisa in Madrid and John in London, have begun to see the monster as well. What is going on with both families?

John and Mia

I was instantly intrigued as a writer. The most frightening things for me as a child were the things that I had created in my own mind. The idea of a monster created in the mind of a child coming to life was rather creepy. What would happen if all of your childhood nightmares came to life? Another familiar aspect was one parent believing the child and the other thinking it's just for attention. This is what happens to Mia. John believes her while her mother, Susanna, doesn't.

The belief and disbelief are extended to Juan and Luisa as they visit a church for help as his nightmares worsen. Father Antonio believes that something is going on with the family while his superior doesn't. Is this a supernatural problem? Or is this a matter for psychology to solve? While religion is explored with Juan and Luisa, Mia and John are taken to a psychologist. Will either be able to find some help?

As the film progresses, the lines between reality and the supernatural blur. I personally didn't see the twist coming. I hadn't expected it and it was clever. Sure, there were some plot hiccups. I hesitate to call them holes simply because they're more alluded to rather than spelled out completely for the audience. What really sells this film is the acting. All of the actors do a great job, especially Clive Owen, Pilar López de Ayala and the two children. Neither of the children had a particularly long list of acting credits either.

The cinematography is also very nicely done. There are often times when scenes are set up with the monster lurking, but you're left with darkness and clever angles instead. The director knew what he was doing in order to keep that level of mystery up. I think the film could have suffered greatly if the director hadn't kept up that mystery. Keep an open mind and give this movie a chance.

Rating: 3/5