Director – Peter Bergendy (The Exam, The Attic)
Starring – Viktor Klem (Ransom, The Whiskey Bandit), Fruzsina Hais (Berlin Station, Cask Szinhas es mas Semmi), and Judit Schell (No Man’s Island, Vagabond)
Release Date – 2020
Rating – 3/5
Scream Factory has brought genre fans some fantastic films to blu and UHD. Every month collectors scramble to snag whatever movies they’ve pumped out on disc. While they have brought classic films from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s that drive fans crazy, they also released some fantastic modern flicks that would fly under most fans’ radar. Recently, I received the press release for the Hungarian paranormal horror film Post Mortem. The trailer looked really interesting so I reached out to Scream Factory and they were kind enough to send over a review copy. With October fully under way I decided it was the perfect time to check it out.
**spoiler Alert** The film takes place some time after the first world war when a former soldier visits a small village to perform mourning photos for families that lost someone. The village was hit hard by the flu and due to the severe weather in the region they are unable to bury the dead. This has resulted in the town becoming haunted with the spirits of the deceased that he has vowed to rid the town of. **Spoiler alert**
Post Mortem is a film that has a lot going for it. It has a tremendous atmosphere and tension. When you combine that with eerie images and a story that really works you get something that really helps you get in the Halloween spirit. The movie is far from perfect and there were a few moments that made me watch the clock instead of the film but it was effective once the story picked up.
The acting in this one is so well rounded. It’s difficult to feel an emotional connection with a film when you are reading subtitles the entire time but this one works. You can feel raw emotions with the look in their eyes and their mannerisms. The cast really does carry the film on their backs and their performances are fantastic. Their characters are well written and they do a fantastic job bringing them to life.
The story for this one is much bigger than the film we get and what it could have been really hangs over the film. The idea of using mourning photos as the basis of a horror film has been done before. The popular theatrical flick The Others was the first film to bring this to my attention but films were done way before it. Anyway, mourning photos is extremely eerie and unnerving especially for generations of individuals after they became outdated. I really enjoyed how they were used here. I also loved that it was a period piece that took place after World War 1. With that being said, it does lag during the middle portion of the film and doesn’t really pick up until it’s last leg. It’s atmospheric and tension works when it finally finds it’s stride.
Finally, this one has some seriously creepy make-up effects and scenes that really captures the paranormal aspect of the film. It’s not a movie that relies heavily on bloodshed but it works. Overall, Post Mortem is a highly effective film with a great cast and decent story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it for those of you wanting something spooky this October.
