credit: Room 203
There are rules to horror movies, right? Room 203 doesn’t just break a few of them; it actively skips and cavorts right by them without thinking. As a horror movie with a great deal of potential with a supernatural element, this looked like it could have been something that might have been able to chill a person to the bone and make it difficult to go to sleep at night. But the trouble with this movie is that it not only blasts past the rules that govern so many different movies, it feels removed somehow from the horror genre as it focuses on the relationship between Kim and Izzy in a very haphazard manner. The movie bounces back and forth between their relationship and the actual horror so often that it’s tough to keep track of what’s going on at times and it’s even tougher to care that much about it. In theory, this movie could have been something that would have stood on its own two feet without needing something extra. But to be fair, Room 203 needed a lot of extras that weren’t a part of the budget.
credit: Room 203
There are plenty of elements that work in this movie, but they’re used in a very amateur manner.
I know, who am I, right? I’m not a film critic, director, or even a professional screenwriter, but it doesn’t take any of those to realize that this movie has what it takes to be a horror movie. Still, it uses every element it has in a very irresponsible way. That sounds harsh, but from the start to the finish, Room 203 is the type of movie that makes a lot of people who care about the story within the movie cringe because it’s like watching a group of children trying to figure out how to operate something that’s well beyond them. Plenty of people might want to argue and state that this movie is OK just the way it is, but after watching this movie, it feels that a lot of people let too much go in terms of what works and what doesn’t. Far be it from me to say that it’s the worst movie ever made (it’s not), but Room 203 is, for better or worse, a lackluster horror movie.
The supernatural aspect doesn’t help that much.
Quite a few people love the supernatural aspect of a horror movie since it lends a great deal of the unknown and represents something that the characters might not be able to fight against. That kind of element is what helps to make a horror movie what it is since it creates a challenge that fans appreciate since they do want to see the protagonist succeed, but they want it to be a difficult fight up until the end. The movie does make an effort to put its protagonist through her paces, but at the same time, it feels as though it’s too afraid to push the envelope and create the type of danger that can overwhelm her and move on to the next victim. This movie focuses so heavily on Kim and Izzy that it feels like anyone and everyone outside their sphere of influence doesn’t matter. Even the reason behind why their apartment is haunted feels like less of a big deal than their relationship, which is still over-dramatized.
credit: Room 203
The movie does try to salvage the impact it was going for, but it’s too little, too late.
By the time the supernatural force is identified and Kim and Ian begin to work against it, one has to admit that the entity in the apartment should have taken both Kim and Izzy a few times over, especially since it took the two unfortunate victims at the beginning of the movie without any hesitation. Identified as a Celtic legend and spirit, the Morrigu is something that a lot of people might have heard of, but it’s likely that many horror fans might know very little about it. There’s nothing wrong with obscure legends, but it does require a bit more exposition since otherwise, one alienates the audience by promoting something they can’t immediately comprehend.
In the end, this movie is a good beginning to a horror legend, but it needs a lot more work.
Those who stand by this movie could be those that see the potential that it has, but it could be that their standards aren’t that high to begin with. From the beginning to the end, this movie is one of those that might be fine and dandy for those that are just getting into the horror genre and need to take it easy. But for horror aficionados, it feels like something that should rightfully be called a very amateur attempt at creating something that will scare the audience.
It’s not the worst movie ever made, but it needs a great deal of help.
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