Director – Robert Eggers (The VVitch, Hansel and Gretel)
Starring – Robert Pattinson (Twilight, High Life), Willem Dafoe (Aquaman, John Wick), and Valeriia Karaman
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 4.5/5
Tagline – “Keeping secrets are ye?”
I hear a lot of modern filmmakers get coined as the new master of horror but I rarely agree with it. Most recently many in the horror community has come to praise Ari Aster and Jordan Peele as being the new faces of horror. I haven’t watched Peele’s two films yet to provide my feedback on that but I do have to say that I’m conflicted with giving Aster that title. Hereditary was horrible in my opinion and Midsommar was solid.
However, one name I never hear mentioned is Robert Eggers. Eggers made a name for himself with the 2015 release The VVitch which is a must see for any genre lover. When I first heard of The Lighthouse, his follow up film, I was excited to say the least. The second I received the press release for the film I reached out for a review copy. This was one film I was not going to pass up and I’m glad I didn’t.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows Thomas Howard (Pattinson) and Thomas Wake (Dafoe) who are manning a lighthouse on a small island off the coast. Wake is an older seafarer and Howard is a younger man who is hiding a secret from Wake. Their time on the island is coming to a close and they expect a ship from their employer soon to pick them up to take them back to mainland when a storm hits. Stuck inside with just some small rations and whiskey they decide to drink. This brings tensions to a boil and soon Howard’s dark secret is revealed and the two fall into madness. **Spoiler Alert**
I fucking loved The VVitch when I first saw it. It was a beautifully mesmerizing horror film filled with dark tension and amazing atmosphere. When I first saw the trailer for The Lighthouse I knew it was going to be another instant classic and I was right. The movie may moves at a snails pace but it packs a god damn punch as we near the end. I absolutely fucking loved it and I can’t wait for Eggers to bring us another film.
The acting in this one is one is some of the best acting I have seen in a horror film for sometime. Dafoe and Pattinson both delivered unforgettable performances. Dafoe brought some humor to the film and really got into his character but Pattinson delivered a performance I honestly didn’t think he had in him. I know many from the genre shit talk him over the Twilight films (which are not that great but not as bad as many of you let on) but he reinvented himself with this film. His performance really showed that he is an amazing actor and I can’t wait to see how he tackles Batman!
The story for this one is a very slow build up that doesn’t waste the viewer’s time. We get a lot of story delivered in that time along with some great character development and gorgoeus imagery. I don’t mind a slow moving story and this one is very effective. I also really enjoyed the ending of the film and how everything escalated rapidly within the final minutes of the film.
Finally, the film does have some blood with some decent practical effects. The blood is fun but those of you looking for blood and gore will be very disappointed with this once. Overall, The Lighthouse is a phenomenally dark and beautifully shot horror film that has one hell of a cast. I really enjoyed it and can’t say enough about it. Do yourself a favor and check it out!
