aronharde

I have never played the game myself, but in anticipation I recently watched a playthrough. While it's not perfect, I really enjoyed the lore and the many interesting outcomes the game provides. From the trailer, it was already clear that the movie would be a very loose adaptation, and that turned out to be true. In this 2025 film, we follow five teenagers who head into a remote valley where the sister of our protagonist, Clover, vanished. Shortly after arriving, they are confronted by various threats, and each time they are killed, they enter a time loop and wake up at the beginning of the same evening.

The concept itself is actually pretty fun and quite enjoyable. It reminded me of The Cabin in the Woods, but instead of all the creatures appearing in one climactic scene, here they show up one at a time throughout the story. The movie also creates some entertaining and occasionally funny situations with characters dying in hilariously gory ways. People who enjoy explicit gore, like me, will have a great time with some of the deaths and practical effects.

However, I can't deny that I was really disappointed the film didn't follow the video game's narrative more closely. In this adaptation, the story feels a bit all over the place, and it's hard to connect with the characters when they keep dying. The most disappointing part for me was the portrayal of the Wendigos. In the game, they're absolutely terrifying, fast, grotesque, and nightmare-inducing. Here, they just look like actors in suits and masks. Every time they were on screen, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was just a person underneath. They lacked the long limbs and quick, unnatural movements from the game, instead moving like regular people, which was off-putting in a bad way.

I still have to give props to David F. Sandberg for creating some decent scares and interesting moments, even though the script felt very flawed overall. I had a decent time watching the film, but I was also left disappointed by what could have been. There are a few nods to the game that made me smile briefly, but overall, I walked away wanting more and feeling unsatisfied.

I do think this movie could be more enjoyable on a second watch in a few months or years, once I've accepted that it's not meant to follow the video game closely. But for now, it's a decent film with some enjoyable moments and intriguing ideas, though ultimately a disappointing result. [6,3/10]

"Frewaka" immediately caught my attention because of its unusual name and interesting-looking poster. I expected something like a low-budget, Midsommar-like movie with Irish folklore sprinkled in, but unfortunately, that is not quite what I got.

We follow Shoo (Clare Monnelly), a care worker who is sent to a remote village in Ireland to look after an agoraphobic older woman. Soon, strange things begin to happen, and she finds herself the target of a sinister folkloric entity.

The movie is definitely a slow burner and really takes its time to tell the story. It is not particularly scary and relies more on atmosphere than on cheap jump scares, which is generally a positive choice. The film features some great cinematography, and the acting is solid overall, making this a technically competent production with some strengths.

Unfortunately, the overall themes have been done many times before in very similar ways. There are already a lot of movies like this, and Frewaka does little to stand out. Aside from the red door and a few costume designs, there is not much visual distinction, and the story does not offer much for the audience to connect with. It leans heavily on familiar genre tropes and stereotypical scenes, which further reduces its impact. I would have loved to see more about the Irish folklore but the movie sadly does not provide many answers or insights at all.

For fans of slow-burn horror, this folk horror film might offer some enjoyable moments. However, Frewaka ultimately lacks the originality and memorability to impress a more seasoned audience. [4.2/10]

Sadly, at this point, the majority of this movie's ratings appear to be obviously fake, making it hard to genuinely tell how real audiences felt about the film. Most reviews are positive, but I'm not sure how much I can trust them or their scores. That being said, I gave this movie a try because I love zombie films and don't mind watching even the bad ones. The story follows a young teenager and her protector, who saved her life when a zombie apocalypse wiped out most of humanity. We get a short introductory scene showing how they met and how it all started, which was enjoyable. Ten years later, they are still roaming the area trying to survive when they encounter other characters, including a pregnant woman, which adds further complications to their survival.

The movie clearly had a limited budget compared to major productions, but you can tell there was some care and passion behind it. It's not just another trashy low-tier zombie flick. The digital effects were weak at times, but the film did attempt some ambitious action scenes with complex sets and a good number of extras, which was nice to see. The characters were more engaging than expected and not entirely one-dimensional, even though some were still a bit stereotypical. The two lead actors gave decent performances, though several minor characters were poorly acted, which lowered the overall quality in certain scenes.

The movie presents many ideas and sequences that fans of the genre have seen before, and it doesn't offer much in the way of originality. It's a very typical survival thriller set during a zombie apocalypse that checks all the usual boxes, but it remains fairly enjoyable. I think it will appeal most to die-hard fans of the zombie subgenre who are not yet burned out by the endless stream of undead content. For others, this may not be very engaging, and there are definitely better options out there. The film had potential and managed to use it in some areas, but it still carried that cheap B-movie feel that significantly affected its quality in several scenes.

Also, the two-hour runtime felt unnecessary. This could have easily been trimmed down to 90 or 100 minutes. If you're a hardcore zombie fan and still hungry for more, I'd recommend checking it out. But if you've only seen a few zombie films, you're probably better off exploring some of the more polished entries in the genre. [4,9/10]