Synopsis: Two teenage siblings endure a terrifying experience while investigating a rural legend near their family’s vacation home.
My Short Review: Atrocious is another movie surfing on the success of found footage movies such as Blair Witch, Rec or Paranormal Activity. Blair Witch especially comes to mind when most of the proceedings in Atrocious are being shot at night in a creepy forest.
Nothing surprising here and the script is as thin as cigarette paper. In the hands of a more capable director, Atrocious could have risen to a very respectable entertainment. In the hands of Fernando Barreda Luna though, it’s a different story.
To make a good genre film, the viewer must be maintained in a growing sense of tension that will keep him to the edge of its seat until the final credits. He must as well feel emotionally involved with the characters and their misadventures. To do this, you need two things: a suffocating cinematography spreading doubt and fear, and talented actors to make every emotional step credible.
Unfortunately, in Atrocious none of that is present on the screen. The actors are not conveying any sense of fear and emotion while the cinematography is just bland.
The result is a genre film clearly built to cash in on a lucrative trend. A Movie with a total lack of originality or genuine scares.
My Rating: 4/10
Year: 2010
Director: Fernando Barreda Luna
Origin: Spain