The Moor

I really don't understand the bad ratings. I guess people nowadays are used to fast paced and commercially accessible monster/exorcism flicks with no depth. And believe me, I did watch The First Omen and Immaculate. While the first one mentioned was still watchable, the second one here is an utter disgrace. In comparison The Moor is just one of those Indie Horror gems you cannot miss, especially if you have no problems with slow story telling opposed to the mentioned mainstream movies. The images and scenery are scary in the first place already, although you do have some of the usual scares here and there which I somehow felt that they didn't feel forced. The no name actors are all doing a very decent job especially the 2 females and the creepy soundtrack itself is simply phenomenal. Still trying to make sense of some of the scenes, but the almost constantly tense atmosphere kept me on my toes!

I see others pan this movie because it doesn't have much action. Now, I'm not sure where in the description, the trailer, the synopsis, or promotions, did it infer this would be an action thriller horror. Before reviewing a movie, be sure you are a fan of the genre. Or at least somewhat interested. You shouldn't watch Maverick and think "C'mon, where's the gore?! Why didn't Tom Cruise get into any fights? It sucks, don't see it. Or pop on the original Predator and say "What a terrible idea, E. T. was way better! Or Schindler's List and post on here "that's not nearly as funny as I thought it would be." The Moor is a Horror, Mystery, Drama film. Turn off the lights, crank up the home theater, enjoy. It did well at the film festivals for a reason. I can't tell you how many movies people on IMDB will rate low and leave a review as if they watched a completely different movie. Sometimes, it's right. But lately, reviews on here make me question our educational system, the impact of information access and overload, and the complete disregard for nuance when ranking a film. Same goes for music, food, museums, and anything we view as entertainment.

A sense of slow burning dread permeates throughout this low budget chiller set in Lancashire. An updated version of Don't Look Now, Lake Mungo and Picnic At Hanging Rock type melancholy and unresolved mystery is set up straight away with a startling opener that is both well done and creepy (though clearly not done in a single take; if it's what the director intended)? David Edward Robertson effectively performs the grief and utter obsession as the father of the missing boy, the sound design is subtle and chilly with expert photography capturing the strange misty moorland. Where I find the film,slightly, falters is the rather repetitive structure of the story with aimless visits to the moor with another ' seeker' to locate the missing child and an ending that is ambiguous to the point of laziness in the scripting- how did the father make the young woman go back out onto the moor? How did he coerce her? Why did she have on her camera? Was it to please the 'found footage' fans of horror? Whatever it is it didn't make much sense. And at under two hours the film is too overlong. However it has played on my mind since I saw it and it bears a recommendation from me on the journey writer/ director makes for his future endeavours.

They were so close to making a really enjoyable film, however, there are few things about this movie that are not good, here they are some examples: There was so much potential with landscape horror but it was never delivered, even though they clearly tried. The continues upshot of the landscape is not gonna do something on its own. They did that for what feels like 10 times during this movie as if I am supposed to feel anything, I didn't. The characters are not likable, in some movies this is no issue, but in this movie it feels not intentional. It feels like the writers didn't put enough attention to the characters. The jumpscares are pathetic. I try not to use dramatic wording while trying to review something but this is a crime that the director did. Blasting noise out of nowhere every 15 minutes is not how you do good horror. At some point the audio clips during a jumpscare which threw me right off as well. I am so sad for this movie, I wish people would put a little more hard work and time. Especially when they are clearly creative and have a great concept on hand but oh well...

If you want action skip this one.it basically tries to focus on grief caused by the loss of a child by a sick killer reminding me a bit of the moors murders and one poor lad that was never found keith allen i believe which kinda put me off using that similar incident to create a ficticious one or am i missing something?the music is ominous which adds to the atmosphere but its just badly put together as far as cast is concerned ,bill is good but the rest are kinda wet and theres so much that is never explained .obviously theres some kind of cult aspect to it but what the hell that has to do with a child killer is never really explained .theres a possession scene in the tent but again whats relative to a child killer ,who was possessing the psychic .it all sort of starts of okay and i still dont really know if the demons are a symbol of despair ,or the spirits of the dead children which have created there own hell . Was the father the one who killed his own child because in the beginning the shop owner says the boys dad picked him up and if the kids were local surely the shop owner would of known the boys real dad.im trying not to give away a lot and let you decide for yourself but it went from simple sort of serial killer movie to cult horror almost like two different films .personally as a horror fan i did not find it in the slightest scary and during the sceances everyone seemed to take the paranormal events with a pinch of salt like yep thats normal.i found it all of a mish mash and so slow i nearly fell asleep ,not to say its bad but coulda been a lot better.

Big dissapointment. The film feels from the start like a movie made for tv. All three women who are main characters are wooden. The guide is the least irritating of them, but alike Clair and the psychic girl has, no individuality and character development. The only intersting and well acted character is Bill, the grieving father. The film is slow burn, but not in a good sense. Has lots of cheap scares and overused tropes. What really got me was, that people heading for a half day hike in the moor where the terrain is rough and weather unpredictale did not carry even a small backpack with extra rain protection, spare pair of socks, water bottle and a sandwich, but relied totally on the female guide to provide them with everything. Also the eyeless, stalking multiplying zombie sheeps with suicidal tendencies were rarher laughable. Generally the film has a lot of potential - the moor is dark and beautifull, the old god/demon fits the place. But despite that, the film did not engage viewers and the wooden characters acting senslessly (of course first thing Clair did was to wander off and get lost...) do not help. And why did the plot involve the killer running away from the police? That did not add anything to the story. The plot was sort of dissjoint, as if the author could not decide if they wanted true crime story or supernatural horror- I know there was explanation that Danny was a wrong sacrifice and it should have been Clair, but it was not put together well enough. I gave the film 5 stars, but only because of the views of the moor. The found footage elements are not matched well with the rest of the film and rather unnecessary. They only work well in the final scenes and I guess that's way they were introduced from the start. The plot twist does not fit at all. Why didn't the demon take Claire himself if he was so powerful?

source: The Moor

"Out there, we are all lost." Where exactly, you wonder? Why, that'd be on the moors, a place surrounded in fog, myths, and loss. With Chris Cronin's feature-length directorial debut, these mysterious lands take center stage as a grieving father and haunted podcaster search for answers and closure. The results? Very mixed, but I'm confident Mr. Cronin has a solid career ahead of him. THE MOOR features a wonderful sense of atmosphere and benefits greatly from cinematographer Sam Cronin's depiction of the moody and aforementioned moors. There are some fun frights to be had here too (a scene in a gully stands out as a highlight), but unless one is a rabid horror fan chomping at the bit for anything new, this one is hard to recommend with much enthusiasm. The film consistently cuts away to documentary-style interviews which, while helpful in the exposition camp, feel tonally and visually out of place with the rest of the film. Similarly, the "true ending" of the film feels incredibly jarring (you'll know what I mean if you watch it). I'm not sure if that was simply by design or if some scenes had to be cut due to budget restraints, but in the end it ultimately weakens the film's overall impact. That overall feeling isn't helped much by our lead "Claire" who is an wildly boring protagonist or the variety of moments where she and other characters fail to react to something cray cray in a realistic way. I've never seen a floating tent before...have you? Still, there is some good stuff here for those who seek it; Elizabeth Dormer-Phillip in particular is a standout as "Eleanor," who not only breathes life into the film but gives it some much needed heart as well. Definitely a talent to watch. Whether or not the same could be said of Mr. Cronin by viewers after watching this debut, I ultimately believe will vary amongst genre fans. I, however, am curious to see what he does next. Go get 'em, Chris. RANDOM PRAISE + I will never tire of an ominous-looking animal or statue. RANDOM CRITIQUE - If a woman has a panic attack while hiking across the moors and starts losing it, maybe-I don't know, check in on her? Just a thought. TAKEAWAY ? The likelihood of getting kidnapped while shoplifting are low but NEVER zero.

This is one to put on the radar for horror fans. It's creepy as hell in parts with some stand-out moments in particular one in the tent towards the end. I imagine this is inspired by the Brady/Hindley murders (horrific enough without a supernatural element). If you've ever visited a moor in England it can be unnerving, easy to get lost and a sense of something old and ancient which is conveyed brilliantly in this film. There's a subtle element of paganism with strange carvings and statues, a part of British history that is still relatively unknown but often pops up in horror novels (Phil Rickman being one), and a faceless serial killer that ups the horror ante. It's slow-plodding in places and if had been a tad tighter it would have been stand-out. The cast are relatively unknown but the two female leads are ones to watch. All in all this was a great find.

No pun intended - this movie does taste your patience though. Do not expect this to be anything but a slow burner. A character piece .. a movie that sets a mood and lingers in it - through the fog, the moor, you may be able to see .. where this is going ... I doubt it a little bit. And I suppose you have to suspend your disbelief ... maybe there is no reality in this one - at least none that we are aware of. And then the ending comes - and I am still not sure, what it tries to tell me. Is it this or that? You can say that it actually was more than one thing. What do you believe? And it is about believe ... a driving motivator for sure ... one that is like a steamroll ... you'll know once you watch it ... try to have patience and you will be rewarded!