It definitely appears that mainstream horror isn’t quite as popular these days since movies such as Sator are getting a lot more attention, and deservedly so. Horror movies that employ the idea that not all is as it would appear to be are often far scarier when they begin their slow burn since they create the type of anticipation that’s hard to shake but will continue to build from the start to finish of a movie and will keep people on the edge as they try to figure out just what’s going to happen. Chills and scares that come from movies like these tend to feel like being sliced open by a razor repeatedly, a sensation that one’s nerves are being flayed one quick stroke at a time, delivering that faint feeling of chill before shock sets in and numbs the senses to what’s going on so as to avoid some type of sensory overload. The mind does have a way of trying to protect itself and watching movies such as Sator this happens quite often since the scares come quickly and don’t bother to stick around as often while the rest of the story becomes a giant waiting game for those with the patience and the fortitude to keep going from one minute to the next.
This is the kind of movie that separates those that have a genuine love of story from those that are in it to see who’s going to die next and to see if they can predict each and every gruesome demise and where it might take place. In that manner, many horror movies tend to be like a giant game of blood-soaked Clue since one can almost map out who is going to die, how, and where, and follow the formula as it’s played out from one scene to another. Someone’s a jerk to everyone? There’s a good chance they’re gonna die. A woman is a virgin in the movie? She’s either going to die quickly, after a prolonged period of time, or she won’t die at all and be one of the last people standing. There’s a geek in the movie? Then they either die a horrible and painful death or end up making it to the end somehow and might even help save the day. Hero types in horror movies don’t always last that long and even if they do, they’re largely ineffective. In Sator there appears to be none of this since the main antagonist is as vague as possible, appearing on the fringes of what might be deemed as reality and appearing to be a force that is meant to bedevil or at least take an interest in the main protagonists.
What’s really interesting about this movie is that the director/writer Jordan Graham initially had a different narrative in mind and switched it up after hearing of a paranormal happening from his grandmother of a guardian spirit by the name of Sator. He couldn’t scrap his original story fast enough, but he did end up making this movie from the chilling tale she told, and she even has a part in the movie. It’s a bit amazing really, but sometimes writers can find inspiration from the most unlikely places. Apparently his family has a history of hearing voices, and despite how offbeat this might be, it does invite another part of the story that appears to be a very important aspect that gives Sator its chilling appearance, since the idea is to think of whether or not this guardian spirit is truly benevolent and is in fact a part of the world in which the characters live, or a figment of their troubled minds since the implication that it could very well be a case of mental sickness masquerading as a supernatural occurrence is quite strong. One thing that kind of gives it away, but could still be argued over, is the disappearance of the main character’s dog, since that alone would indicate that something is not right within the woods that he’s wandered into for target shooting, and that something is watching him. After all, what better way to keep him off balance than to take away the only possibility he might have of an early warning?
It sounds pretty bad to be so cavalier about the dog since in so many movies dogs have been quite useful and are usually given a rather important role. But in Sator it does feel that there is a certain malevolence within the woods, something that watches, even if the full intent can’t be easily divined. This movie already feels like one that might be placed among the other cerebral horrors that might be forgotten eventually, but it’s definitely worth a look. Those who love more than the blood and gore that come with the average horror movie might be pleasantly surprised.
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