Saint Maud

Much like a high school essay padded to meet the length requirement, this is a perfunctory "discussion" of religious fanaticism as mental illness that was dragged out to the point of nonsensical tedium. So it can be posited that it succeeds on that front as reflecting its topic via its poor and pretentious crafting. Eighty minutes of dark static shots - occasionally accented with droning sound effects or the most minimal musical score. Mumblecore dialogue on the part of the main actress. Joyless pacing and color palette. Yes, it makes the viewer very uneasy but with zero pay-off. Even the seaside ending was a yeah-yeah-just-get-it-over-with moment. Avoid. It's soul-crushingly superficial.

I'll give it an ok for spooky setting and cinematography but that's it, highly predictable extremely boring drama absolutely NO horror, I guess 5 minutes of thriller but ALL DRAMA and I hate dramas I'm bummed out cause i waited all this time spent 40 euros to buy this steelbook from the UK just to be bored!! You think at my age I'd have learned. But I cant go to the theater 1st before I buy right now so I'll get some duds like this OVERRATED slow burn drama. TRUST me wait for Netflix.

Here's another one I've previously heard a lot of good things about: SAINT MAUD (2019), a slow-burning slice of British horror about a young nurse whose latest role is as a caregiver to a terminally ill former dancer. As the plot slowly unfolds, it turns out the nurse is a committed Christian who believes her client's soul is in danger and who'll subsequently do anything to save her. Not a bad set-up there, but as it turns out this is a horror film for people who don't really like horror; in other words, there's not really much of it around. I spent the whole of the running time awaiting the inevitable plot twist, which was saved for the last five minutes, and it all felt fairly obvious and ordinary in its execution. It's one of those modern films that's constantly dark and dreary, shot in rainy Scarborough with a depressing look and feel to it. The actors aren't bad, particularly Jennifer Ehle who I've always liked since seeing her in THE CAMOMILE LAWN a few decades ago, but the script is dire and the religious stuff quite turgid and dull. Like THE BABADOOK I saw this over-advertised as the "scariest movie ever" and like that one I fail to see the fuss. I'm afraid that as a character study I found this quite the bore.

Not sure what everyone is talking about in terms of this being a psycho religious horror but I felt this was quite disappointing and poor. It almost felt like a student's half year project when they ran out of ideas but had to put something together and drag the story along.

....but almost worth the wait. But the one thing this isn't is a horror film, its a psychological thriller at best. Well worth a watch but I'd hardly call it a masterpiece.

Saint Maud is the debut feature from writer/director Rose Glass, and it packs a punch. The film was first seen at last year's London Film Festival, but was due for broader nationwide release soon. What a crushing disappointment it must be for Ms Glass that so few people will likely get to see it in the current climate... at least, not for a while. Since it is an effective little chiller. Maud (Morfydd Clark) is a palliative nurse looking after ex-choreographer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle). Maud is extremely religious and feels God move in her... regularly. Acting on His guidance, Maud sets out to save the soul of her ailing bohemian charge. But is Amanda beyond reach, and far will the zealot-like Maud go to achieve her goal? Morfydd Clark appears so young in this film that you would think this was her debut film. But she's actually 30 years old and has quite an impressive filmography already. Although this is her movie-lead debut, she's had a substantial part alongside Kate Beckinsale in the excellent "Love and Friendship" and smaller parts in "Crawl", "The Personal History of David Copperfield" and the fun "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". She's likely to get more worldwide exposure soon as a young Galadriel in Amazon's new version of "Lord of the Rings". As Maud she is simply superb - expressing such a range of joy, hurt and despair that you must think a BAFTA Rising Star nomination should be on the cards. Clark is ably supported in the leading role by the splendid Jennifer Ehle, still so memorable to me as Elizabeth Bennett from the BBC's "Pride and Prejudice". Scarborough is also a star of "Saint Maud". The Yorkshire seaside town is another star of the movie. Clearly filmed before lockdown, the rainy and windswept resort looks bleak and unwelcoming. And that's before Covid! Many of those struggling bars and amusement centres, as in other resorts all around the UK, are now on their last legs. Adam Janota Bzowski supplies the impressively claustrophobic music, which deserves recognition. A scene with Maud, flicking a lighter rhythmically in time with the sonorous beat, is a masterpiece in musical choreography and editing (by Mark Towns). At the heart of this horror-thriller is whether, following a Dawkins-style argument, fervent religious followers are less insightfully correct and more mentally unstable and misguided. When is the voice of God just the voice in your head? And how would you tell the difference anyway? Piecing together the plot and motivations of Maud was intellectually challenging and rewarding. I always get a little tense and nervous when I see the word "horror" on a movie bill. I am NOT a great horror fan! But for me, as a 'horror movie', "Saint Maud" is of the 'horror-lite' variety. Highly watchable, it builds more in the way of creeping dread than cheap shocks. There were only a couple of jump-scares (but for me, the one in the finale was a doozy!). A BBC interview with Rose Glass I just saw says she relates Maud's relationship with God as like many people's relationship with social media. Always looking for support, guidance and affirmation. Interesting. This is also an obviously female-led picture. All the men are complete tools. no, really, literally they are. It makes me feel ashamed to be among their number. Overall, "Saint Maud" is a minor classic. I didn't go in with great expectations of this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. As a small British movie, it packs a punch significantly above its weight. When I came out I was at about a 7* rating. But this is one that really stayed with me, and I've subconsciously thought about little else all day. So for that reason I am going to escalate my rating to something more appropriate. You might struggle now to see it on the big screen, but if you can do so, it comes with a recommendation from me. I think this one could REALLY be a "Marmite film".... so if you see it, let me know what you thought with a comment on One Mann's Movies. (Thanks).

This is one of those movies where a couple of critics overdo their reviews and all the others feel they have to do the same or they will look dumb. So it gets overhyped. What happens here is a perfectly decent movie gets so hyped you are always going to be disappointed because it cannot possibly live up to that hyped reviewers drivel. Its a smart, clever movie that takes a while to get going, has a lot of padding and is not in any way a real horror film. It most certainly isnt "the scariest film of the decade" or whever that nonsense said. The lead is very good as is almost all the cast - pointless as some of them were. I liked the ending, thoiugh it was a little predictable. As an exploration of religious fervour in the wrong mind and the damage that can do, it certainly succeeds but if you are expecting the exorcist or anything like it, you will be disappointed. This is yet another example of critics trying to show how clever they are and at the same time, causing the movie to disappoint movie goers who, had they ignored those critics would probably have said, yeah, that was pretty good that - which is pretty much all it is. Scarborough is gorgeous as always though. if you've nebver been you should, quintessential English holiday spot.

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DVD title says, "Mesmerizing HORROR Masterpiece", "Extraordinarily SCARY". WRONG! You get three seconds at the end which was about as scary as rice pudding.