The final day of the Telluride Horror Show is always a mix of good and bad feelings. We always get to see so many new movie experiences, but when it is over we have to wait a year to have experienced it all again. But it is not time to dwell on that...let's chat about the stuff we saw today!
Reunion
Sometimes you don't have any idea of what you are getting into with a movie and every year at THS there is a movie that would normally slip under our radar that one of us catches that we are incredibly surprised by. Reunion was that movie for us. Before THS we had never heard of this movie at all. So let's talk about why I enjoyed this so much.
Reunion is about a pregnant woman who goes back to her family home after her grandparents die and is surprised that her mother is there and trying to sell the house. Begrudgingly the daughter stays at the home and we start to learn more about their relationship and all the things that happened in the house when her and her sister, Clara (who is now deceased), were kids.
The story did a great job of throwing in elements to make you question what was going on. Is it witchcraft, is it a haunting, is it an evil scholar? You have to watch to find out, but the payoff was worth it despite how slow of a burn this movie is at times. Something, something "good things"; something, something "those who wait". Speaking of waiting...you will be waiting a long time to find any redemption for a few of the characters. The mother, the father, and the contractor are a bit problematic. The father present, and that is really all till the end. The mother is someone you love to hate and who gets far too easily forgiven for the mistakes she has made. The contractor is also just "in it", and right when you think he will be important the movie is already over.
I get it, though...sometimes having nonessential characters in a story is a necessary evil for the freaking amazing payoffs. If you see this movie out and about and you can stand slow burns with amazing payoffs (I see you, A Dark Song), then I would suggest you check this movie out.
Horror Rating System
Horror Qualifier: 9/10
Horror Quality: 7/10
Film Quality: 7/10