This is one of those "acquired taste" horror movies, the kind that relies much more heavily on slow burn storytelling and unsettling atmospheres than outright scares. We've seen a lot of these in recent years, and there's always something slightly ostentatious about them, but they also generally manage to hook me in with their looming and haunting moods.
Osgood Perkins, a director I'm entirely unfamiliar with (though I recognize him as the son of Anthony Perkins, and as that dorky student from Legally Blonde), clearly knows how to keep this material compelling. The way he lingers on cold, dark, shivery winter textures, the way he warps his narratives in order to maintain intrigue, the way he makes use of disquieting sound design - this guy's the real deal.
Mind you, the concept isn't that original, and the slower storytelling doesn't always succeed (once you make the connection between the two narratives, the movie takes a little too long to wrap everything up), but it's otherwise smart and patient in the ways that matter, while also being the kind of dread-drenched experience that makes you temporarily forget what joy feels like.
Grade: B+
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