The Caretaker (2016) Reviews

• good acting wasted on a dull storyline

  sjarja2016-10-09

  I did like the actors and their acting. It was quite believable in context of what was going on. I also liked their communication - which was not forcibly poor to further the plot. (poor communication being one of the main tools in most horror movies i know to actually create tension...) Sadly though - i did not care a bit for the story the movie told. It committed the sin of being "simply boring". No real twists and turns, no build up of tension, and the climax felt rather "mehh". I caught myself checking the time several times during that movie. The idea of the movie is not really new .. the execution is ... in my opinion ... textbook... sadly textbook as in "been there, done that - a hundred times..." Whats left is what can only be called mediocre.

• Good start, then never picks up pace. I liked Sean "G-eazy-Leto" Martini tho!

  Finfrosk862016-09-29

  The Caretaker starts out pretty well, I think.. It looks good, doesn't look especially low budget, the acting is OK, it had an overall creepiness to it, I gave it a chance. (I have seen my fair share of small horror flicks, I usually get a feeling pretty fast) Yeah, well it starts out good, you're led to believe there is something really creepy going on, and then.. well, then almost nothing more happens. I mean, stuff does happen, the movie isn't directly boring, it's just way to tame. It's more like a drama than horror. A movie can work without the big horror scenes and jump-scares and stuff, but then it has to have everything else really locked down. And while the actors do a decent job and all, it's not enough. There are a couple of scenes that are pretty creepy, I'll give it that, but it just seems like the movie is stuck in the beginning part for the whole thing. You know, the beginning part of a horror movie where just small stuff happens. I do want to talk a little bit about Sean Martini, tho. He is the boyfriend of the main character, and he is sort of a main character himself, and I thought he was pretty good. He kind of looks like a cross between G-eazy and Jared Leto, he looks good. Skinny, but good. His acting, although not mind blowing, is pretty natural and not too acty. The girl, Meegan Warner is alright too, but I liked the guy the best. The old woman, eh, she overplays a tad, but OK. So, for pretty much the whole first half+, I was pretty entertained, but then it didn't pick up pace at all, and then when the mystery is revealed, it's just not that cool, and the ending is pretty cliché. So yeah. At first I was like: yeah, this is pretty cool, kind of creepy. But then I was like: Aaaw, come on, can something big happens soon? And just to be clear, one of the stars in this rating is for Sean Martini.

• Dark secrets in the family's past...

  paul_haakonsen2016-10-07

  "The Caretaker" starts out well enough, but after a fairly interesting start, then the air seems to seep out of the creative balloon and the movie just declines downhill from there. It is as if the movie never really managed to fully manifest a firm foothold and it just slipped between the hands of director Jeff Prugh. The story is about young Mallorie (played by Meegan Warner) whom returns to her childhood home with her boyfriend in order to take care of her elderly grandmother Birdie (played by Sondra Blake) as her health is on the decline. But there are dark secrets looming over the household. For a horror / thriller movie, then "The Caretaker" was frightfully devoid of anything even remotely scary of even close to being just the least bit thrilling. For a movie in this genre, then "The Caretaker" failed to impress and will just quietly go unforgotten into the darkest recesses of the movie collection. What did stand out in the movie was the performance by Sondra Blake. She really stood out in this generic and mundane horror movie with her impressive performance. The effects in "The Caretaker" were sparse and far in between. But whatever was there was used well enough in advantage of the movie. But it was a shame that they didn't allocate a bigger budget for special effects and practical effects, because such is usually a big part of a horror movie for it to be convincing. Sad to say, but your attention will be tested throughout the course of the movie, because it is very tempting to pick up the phone for example and just check the social medias or something, because there is so little going on in the movie, that your attention will eventually start to falter and wander. As I mentioned earlier, then "The Caretaker" is not an impressive movie nor a memorable movie in the horror / thriller genre. And there are far, far better similar movies available. The movie's cover does look quite interesting, although it oversells the movie. So don't judge a movie by its cover! "The Caretaker" managed to score a mere three out of ten stars from me. And I can honestly say that the movie, should you manage to get through it to the end, does not support more than just a single viewing.

• Weak, so weak.

  gothic-fiction2016-10-05

  What started nicely, with a good premise, an used subject but still a scary and effective one yet today, managed to reach none of its potential and simply got confused and annoying. I was intrigued indeed, perhaps I found something better and as the minutes were passing I felt more and more curious about the situation. Won't take long until you'll realize that there is no end point, no twist, no explanation, just the finishing line, leaving so many questions behind. As for the characters, if at start you got to know them, to care for some, in the end they all become a big mess of a cliché. I was happy that the movie finally ended, because it was clear I wasn't going to get what I was hoping for. Not recommended from my point of view. Completely missed opportunity here. Cheers!

• Rawdilly rawdilly why are you here

  nogodnomasters2017-09-25

  After a long line of fired caretakers, Mallorie (Meegan Warner) ends up caring for her medicated slightly crazy Grandmother Birdie (Sondra Blake). Mallorie was raised by her grandmother, a carnival witch, and has her own issues. Mal sleeps walks in a trance-like state and calls out the name of her boyfriend August (Sean Martini). Birdie doesn't want August in the house. He violates rules. Eventually she tolerates him. Both women behave creepily. Birdie says to Mal when they first meet, "I'm going to have a guest. One of the dead kind. I am so glad you are here." The film has a fair creep factor which is end loaded.The drama builds slow establishing two complex characters. And when all else fails, add a clown. Really they did. Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity. Couple start to get it on but is interrupted. Chanel Celaya is gosh awfully purdy.