Piercing

A man called Reed hovers over his baby girl holding an ice pick. There's darkness behind his eyes but the child is absolutely oblivious. It becomes clear he doesn't intend to harm her but murder is on his mind. He books a night away and he's going to murder a prostitute to sate his bloodlust. His plan is all laid out. He knows exactly what he's going to do. Then Jackie turns up. She's not what he expected. Suddenly his plans go to shit.

Hooo mama this was a strange one, especially compared to today's mostly gentrified genre offerings. If you're an old school horror fan you'll be gripped from the title screen when you hear Goblin's theme from Tenebrae blare out as the camera moves across what looks like a model set of a city. It gives the film an instantly claustrophobic feel that only intensifies as Reed's plans become clear. It's a film best gone into not knowing much. I'd no idea what to expect when it started. After a while it looked like the film might be heading into hoary old torture porn territory. But then, thankfully, it veers off into left field and becomes a far more satisfying watch.

Director Nicholas Pesce's use of the Tenebrae theme isn't the only thing he borrows from the old Italian giallo genre. He homages their style too, the split screen images, the lurid colour pallette, the sprinkling of gore, the perverse sexuality, all mainstays of the films of Dario Argento, Sergio Martino and early Lucio Fulci. But he makes sure to give it a modern touch too and the mix of styles works surprisingly well. If you're going to borrow from the best make sure to add your own flavour too.

Horror, like comedy, is only ever successful if you give a shit about the characters involved. Reed is a reprehensible character but as the story moves forward we get an insight into why he is the way he is. The knowledge we gain doesn't absolve him one bit but it saves him from being a faceless monster. Christopher Abbott underplays his part perfectly. He's a ball of restrained emotion waiting to be let loose. Mia Wasikowska as Jackie plays off him perfectly. Her character couldn't be more different from Reed. She's a raging ball of id. A woman working in a job where she's a piece of meat to be used. She just wants to be treated nicely and the fact that her life isn't her own is causing her to strike out. And Reed just happens to be in the way when it happens.

One thing I liked about this is the point when you aren't sure who's side you're on anymore. Things have gone upside down and have gotten morally murky. Your head is telling you to think one way but your gut is telling you something different. I do love a moral conundrum in a movie. It's smartly done. The drip feed of reveals culminate in a stomach turning moment that will make you rethink your opinion of one character. As mentioned earlier, it's not a moment of absolution but one of understanding. I liked how it was done. It adds a nice depth to a movie where you wouldn't expect much.

This is definitely not a movie for everyone but if you like your horror movies intelligent, complex and slightly dubious then it's worth a go. Keep an eye out for Christopher Abbott too. Mia Wasikowska is already flying high but i think he has an interesting career ahead of him too now that his role in last year's 'First Man' got him into the mainstream.

Available to rent or buy at the google play store now.