Neverlake (2013)

A young English girl visits her father in Italy, where she discovers painful truths.

'Neverlake' is an atmospheric, low-budget horror film with a not-very-original twist, but one that's well made use of and nicely integrated into the predominant Gothic style.

Director:  Riccardo Paoletti     

With: Daisy Keeping, David Brandon, Joy Tanner, Martin Kashirokov

Rating: 6/10

Wednesday (2022-)

Wednesday Addams is sent to Nevermore Academy - her parents' school - as punishment for dangerous activities.

"Wednesday" is a horror comedy series with gothic accents, a Tim Burton make, based on the characters from the Addams Family. Jenny Ortega's Wednesday is faithful to the original material, adding some personal charm and improvisation that must be fully appreciated. The style is characteristic of Burton, in a comeback that deserves to be mentioned and applauded. The plot is quite rich and the whodunnit captures the attention it deserves. The only disappointment is probably the parents, with few scenes, a bit monotonous dialogue, which pales when compared to the memory of the portrayal of Angelica Huston and Raoul Julia, unfortunately. Not by any of the actors' fault, just the writing.

Director:  Tim Burton   

Production:  Netflix   

Creator:  Alfred Gough, Miles Millar

Duration:  1 season of 8 episodes (45 minutes each)   

With: Jenna Ortega, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Christina Ricci, Emma Myers, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Luis Guzmán,  Catherine Zeta-Jones

Rating: 8/10

The Lodgers (2017)

In the 1920s, two isolated twins live simply while trying to hide a mysterious family secret.

A horror film in a purely Gothic style, extremely well done visually and in what concerns the atmosphere and its character development. Poetic and mysterious, The Lodgers hides and reveals extremely subtly only parts and suggestions of the plot in such a clever way that its banality or the questioning of its plausibility are minimized and moved to the far background while the audience can focus almost unknowingly on the emotional state generated by the beauty and perfection of the picture.

Opinions are as expected quite divided because a film labeled as horror generates certain expectations in terms of the proportion of scare and entertainment, a criterion in which this film is weak, not for reasons of incompetence but simply intention.

Director:  Brian O'Malley    

With: Charlotte Vega, Bill Milner, Eugene Simon, David Bradley

Rating: 9/10