Regression

This carefully-crafted tale of collective psychosis, satanic ritual abuse and pseudo-science, starring Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson, is satisfying as a compact, if over-cautious, horror-tinged psychological thriller. But it's most interesting beneath its polished, doomy surface, where complex concerns about the cultural origins of our fears are skillfully explored.

The material is simply too thin to support a 106-minute-long version of this story without veering into boredom as the path to the confession is a tediously predictable one.

If some of this loud horror material looks frankly absurd, that’s only, Amenabar would no doubt argue, because it reflects the hackneyed, trick-or-treats way in which we give form and body to our night fears. Fine, but for a thriller to thrill, such didactic admonishments are not enough.

It spends a lot of time considering the fear of knowing, which may explain why Alejandro Amenábar didn’t seem to know what kind of film he was making.

Perhaps a story like this needed to be a drama. Or maybe, with its constant, almost comical shifting of blame, a dark satire. Instead, it’s wound up as the worst of all possible alternatives: a disposable genre movie that cannot scare, convince, or enlighten.

Well-intended seriousness dismantles Regression, a not-exactly-horror horror movie that's also a mystery with no mystery.

It’s a crunching disappointment: a dull, crass, formulaic and frankly misjudged chiller.

When the case needs a physical evidence, but it can't reach to get one. Well, it is an investigation theme, something like the Oscar winner 'Spotlight'. After a teen girl Angela was reported of the sexual abuse, a detective named Bruce takes a special interest in solving the case. With the help of a psychologist, lots of ugly truth comes out. But the lack of the solid evidence makes the case slowly slip away from his hands. While his desperate effort to find whoever behind it, it only affect more Angela and her family. So how the story end is told with a twist in the third act. It was inspired by the real events of the late 80s. About the rise of the Satanic culture when panic was among the peoples of the United States. One of the best investigative films, with well developed mysteries around the plot. I found hard to predict, especially the twist was simple, but unexpected. Ms Watson was okay, but Ethan Hawke was excellent. From an awesome filmmaker, another wonderful film, yet not anywhere near to his other great works. Whenever a film based on the real, especially about crimes reveals the truth, we the people believe it and pour our supports to the victim. In that perspective, this film tests our capability to understand between the good and bad. Sometimes the things are not what it is supposed to be because of the overlook. Such theme was this that neatly narrated on the screen. I know this is not a masterpiece, but I don't understand why it is very underrated. This is actually a better psychological-thriller you would find in the recent time. Forget what the critics say, just give it a try, obviously it is slow, but in the end you would find it worth, at least most of you. 7/10

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

While you go into this thinking it's something like a horror revolving around satanic rituals, it turns into something way more psychological towards the end that leaves it a bit scattered and incomplete. It has some good and bad moments but overall just a decent thriller mystery.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Regression usually spends its time finding nothing in the pond. (No fish, no love, no service). That's the rules of being in the pond and Regression doesn't have service whatsoever.