Father of Flies

Father of Flies (2021) is a movie that I recently watched on Prime. The storyline follows a couple going through a divorce and their children moving in with the dad and his new girlfriend while the mother manages a mental breakdown. As the children and father deal with the divorce and the mental rollercoaster that goes with it, dad's new girlfriend starts to go insane.... This movie is directed by Ben Charles Edwards (Set the Thames of Fire) and stars Camilla Rutherford (Gosford Park), Nicholas Tucci (You're Next), Page Ruth (Shameless), Sandra Andreis (The Girl with the Drahon Tattoo) and Davi Santos (Good Sam). This movie had some potential based on the authentic storyline, solid acting and good set up of horror elements. The mask, dancing and music created a creepy feel over the villain and what her actions may be. Unfortunately, the potential for the villain never comes to fruition and the attack/kill scenes are poorly executed with nothing to get excited about - no worthwhile kills, gore or attacks that raise your blood pressure. The movie ends up being fairly straightforward and frustrating. Overall, this is a below average addition to the horror genre that I would recommend skipping. I would score this a 3/10.

In the first 20 minutes I didn't hold up hope that this would be anything more than another low budget horror flick that isn't worth the watch. It is definitely a slow burn, But it's all build up to an ending that does make it worth the journey. Give it a go all the way through. I feel like the low reviews are from people who turned it off half way through. Which is fair enough a I thought about turning it off at an early stage as well, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It's not going to change your life, and I think a 6 out of 10 is a solid score, but given how many awful and predictable films there are right now, this one is worthy of your time, but not the 3.9.

No pun intended - and boy is this a weird one. I totally understand if this does not float your boat. This is weird to say the least. But it also is really good - and it warrants multiple viewings too. I did have to go back to a certain scene myself to check something - and I would say it does make sense. This is more about what it does with your brain - and with the ... well characters and their destiny and destinations. This is about the individuals - but it also about all of them. It is about family - and what it can be (in the worst case) - broken. You can say that it would be best to find a common ground if you have children - but that does not always actually happen. Add a supernatural element to it ... and voila, you have a good movie. There is one scary scene in particular (where the boy is in bed telling his dad that there is something under his bed .. I'll leave it at that ... this is great - and will rattle you! Even though you have been warned)! And it still makes sense, even though you may think, but shouldn't ... I can assure you, it fits. A movie that has you on your toes - not easy to say the least.

I may be an outlier here but I watched this film not once but twice the first night I saw it. I thought that the subject matter of this film was legitimately tragic; the manner in which the story unfolds creates a general sense of eeriness and then finally bleak horror. The atmosphere is top notch. Father of Flies brings alive the memory of a suburban winter stillness in the 1990s which perfectly suits the plot. I always appreciate a film where the supernatural is shown to work within the natural, rather than focusing on some fantasy world where ghosts can kill people (they can't) or the day-to-day brutality of a human serial killer murdering people for the fun of it. I like it when a book or movie walks a thin line between psychological and supernatural horror, and this flick is a good example.

source: Father of Flies

It's definitely a very slow burn. There was no character development, so you really don't care about any of the characters. I would like to have known what happened with the marriage, and why they split up. I would like to know what kind of mental illness the wife had that cause issues in their marriage. I would like to know why the teenage girl was so distraught. I would like to know why the little boy was such a crybaby. Now I do understand how teenagers and young boys operate but besides those facts, I would like to know their personal story. It seems like he substituted one crazy wife for another. What role did the neighbor play was she a witch etc.. so in a nutshell there were a lot of unanswered questions, and honestly I really don't know what happened or what the movie was about. I've watched reviews on YouTube they were unhelpful and have read written reviews on IMDb they were also unhelpful. Plenty of people say they understand what happened but no one actually says what this film was about. So I know apparently the young boy died when his psycho mama took him on her journey to carbon monoxide poisoningville, but what was alI the ghostly stuff at the end. Why did she chase down the teenage daughter and stab her why didn't the teenage daughter just go back to the car which she left running with the windshield wipers going and the door open which was a real s***** thing to do, all because of boyfriend was having a conversation with some other chick. What role did the neighbor play, what was the clown all about. What did the father do after running over his psycho new baby's mama. Just too many unanswered questions for me so it's the one wish I could give it a negative one.

Nothing about this movie made sense. Why was she wearing that mask, is my first question?! If i were the kids, that alone would make me afraid of her. I want to know what that thing is for. Next... Who was the demon?!? The mom? The creepy lady neighbor? The one wearing the mask? I have not a clue who!! I loved the suspense...but it lead up to absolutely nothing. At least nothing that made sense to me. The end was just stupid. Was the boy alive or was he dead? Was mom alive or dead? So was it really only dad, the sister and dad's new woman that was alive and the rest were dead demons? I am left with no answers and complete confusion as to what this movie was about.

I'm a bit confused by the overall low rating. "Father of Flies" is creepy and unusual. Let's call it horror-noir with its monochrome tones and Hitchcockian camera angles. It also keeps you off balance because it seems to take place in an indeterminate 20th-century decade ... until you notice the smart phones. So that's discomfiting. It has a sort of Jim Jarmusch meets M. Night Shyamalan vibe. It's thick with menace and the acting is more than competent. (Kudos to young actor, Keaton Tetlo). I liked it (translation: was creeped out) enough to give it eight stars. Don't expect the usual jump scares and gore and you won't be disappointed. It's more about the vibe. You'll feel dread.

Firstly a couple of positives... this film is nicely shot. The clown was quite creepy but only in the film for a couple of minutes. Sadly, that's where the positives end. I didn't like, care about, or sympathise with any of the characters, the plot such as it was made absolutely no sense and the reviews saying 'wait until the last 15 minutes' are lost on me. Nothing happens and the trailer is scarier than the film, must be a question of composition. I wouldn't say this often, but avoid.

An extremely well directed and written indie horror. The complexity of the story is that of nothing I've seen in mainstream cinema before. The cinematography is to say the least beautiful, with an unusual but complimentary colour grade. Be patient with the story as all will be told and unfold in a way like no other. Fans of psychological horror films will love the thrill and overall story of this incredible horror.