So about a month ago you may remember me writing a post called Smaller Films I Can't Wait to See - that post featured Regression - that shows how excited I was for this movie. I have to say, Regression is no where near as good as I wanted it to be but it also isn't that bad either - it is dumb but it is fun to watch. I honestly found this film quite creepy and chilling at times - but then comes the ending and it was just a disappointment. 

The story for Regression is quite interesting - it is about a detective who has to get to the bottom of a families troubles who have appeared to be part of something quite evil. The film did feel a lot like Sinister at first because it was Ethan Hawke once again in a tense environment but I think Regression tried to be really clever but didn't quite pull it off. When regressions were occurring, the camera would zoom right up to the persons head and then go inside to show what they were thinking. I thought this was a little bit dumb for a film which takes itself quite seriously - I actually think it would have been more disturbing to just watch the persons reactions to what they were thinking rather than what they were actually thinking. I do think the general plot is pretty solid though and hasn't been explored for a while in a horror film. 

This paragraph may contain spoilers

However, that solid plot is almost ruined by a so-so twist. The twist was good but a complete let down - the film built itself up the whole time for something big but the twist meant that that something big was never going to happen. It was not only a waste of time for the detective but also a waste of time for the audience. Now, when looking into the twist a little more - some of the factors are very dumb. For example, a human would never be able to picture the exact same thing/human that another human had described to them without seeing the picture before. This means that Hawke's characters visions of the lady with the weird liquid don't actually make sense because there is no way that Watsons character would have been able to make Hawke vision her. I also think that Watson kind of let the twist down - I thought her big reveal could have been a lot more effective - I would of actually liked if Watson changed her accent or at least changed her tone. What I will say though is that the twist does actually mean that most things tie together which may of seemed a little random beforehand. 

I did genuinely find this film quite creepy - the people with white faces and black cloaks over them were terrifying - imagine waking up in the middle of the night to them!! I also think the film was pretty disturbing and wasn't scared to go into areas that some films would never dare crossing (by this I mean gruesome stuff to do with babies). 

The acting in the film was so-so - Watson and Hawke were generally good but I feel that Watson could have done a much better job. I felt she just didn't do much with the material she was given and I also didn't understand why she was so casual about going outside after showing Hawke 'her mark' which she said would get her killed - thinking back on it now, this could be to do with the twist. Hawke was also ok but I've seen him do a lot better. The supporting cast for the film weren't much to write home about. 

Regression actually had me until about half way through when a lady sees a possessed cat and then jumps out of a window - I found this utterly ridiculous and I don't know how any filmmaker can think this was a good idea for a film that is taking itself so seriously. 

My biggest issue with Regression is that I just feel a little misled - the trailer looked so good but the film was just very so-so. Yes, it was chilling but that all turns out to be a waste of time once the twist is revealed. The film ends up being a bio-pic in a way about the use of Regression therapy which I thought was laughable at the end of the film. Regression is mediocrely acted and does have a solid plot - it is just a shame that the twist was a little too far fetched/silly/a let down and there were so many random scenes or else I may have rated Regression a lot higher as it is not a bad film.

3 STARS

C+

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