ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

bennettracheal I created an account just to review this movie.First I have to say this movie is polarizing, people seem to either appreciate the focus on a female perspective or reject it, probably due to its unconventional presentation, but I think that is refreshing considering how tv and movies spoon feed us nowadays. We are told what to think and how to feel, who the bad guy is, who the good guy is but in XX things aren't as cut and dry. The focus on anxiety, depression, status, religion, family, children, is all from the female perspective, with a supernatural twist of course. And I think the female directors/actresses did an amazing job. I fully recommend this movie to anyone who is looked my for something different.

noelannevoyt This is one of the few horror movies I've found that has a lower imdb rating than critical score-the opposite is almost universally true. The critical score on Rotten Tomatoes is 72 precent. That's a huge difference. This anthology has gotten a lot of hate for the fact that it was directed by women from people who claim they "don't care that it was directed by women." For the record, I do care that it was directed by women. I'm not saying everyone who says they don't care is lying. Oh wait...Yes, that's exactly what I'm claiming. If this had been released with male leads by male directors it would have a 6 rating for the stop motion animation between segments alone.The anthology is told from a female perspective so if you're part of the he-man woman hater's club you can write this one off now. If you're willing to accept that woman have stories to telll and that female characters should have flaws that don't involve their looks, self-esteem, or period, I think you'll find this a fresh take on the horror anthology.As the parent of a child with an eating disorder, I found The Box terrifying. It starts out as if it could be pulled out of the pages of Romero's Creepshow, then it takes a turn for the less formulaic. Ultimately, there maybe two types of people in this world: people who love ambiguous endings and people who...The Cake, is the second entry in the anthology, and it's a story that many reviewers obviously didn't get. Whether that's because we don't value the time and effort put into rearing children or because it is a bit schizophrenic, I'll leave up to you to decide. For me, this anxiety-fueled entry was both funny and cringe-inducing. I loved it, and-if your capable of putting yourself into the shoes of a mother whose child's special day it is-you'll likely enjoy it too. Her Only Living Son is likely another source of contention in this anthology. It unapologetically follows the narrative of a mother who has spent her whole life trying to protect her son. It sees the mother of this bad seed trying to keep her son from being lost entirely to the dark side. I found it to be emotionally satisfying and a great nod to genre classics, Rosemary's Baby and The Omen.The Fall is the weakest entry for me. The narrative stalls in this one. I felt it was the most formulaic of the four, and it ended without making much of an impact. I'd love to tell you this is objectively the worst of the four, but it may just be that I was incapable of viewing the women in final segment apart from the role of mother taken on in the other stories. Though, arguably, the antagonist in this story coiuld be said to be a mother of sorts. Maybe the fact that I'm not sure about my point of view that I like so much here: I'm forced to reevaluate assumptions of female moviemakers, female driven stories, gender roles in film, and myself as a viewer.

venusboys3 I watched this with a friend tonight for our October horror movie night and was quite impressed. It's pretty clever all the way through, doesn't fall into the trap of many horror anthologies of playing for laughs or going too heavy on the gore. There is some good gore in this, but not a lot and nothing gratuitous... it's in service to the story, not the goal of the story, if that makes sense. It also didn't strain at its budget and try to pull of FX that weren't really necessary to the stories... as it often does, this lack of visual spectacle ended up making each story more intimate and focused on the characters. The first segment was quite intriguing and I really liked how it resisted giving a simple/dumb explanation for what's going on. It sent my head to some odd places, thinking about food and our need to eat. My wasn't as pleased with it as I was, I think she wanted more exposition/explanation. I was surprised that it was based on a story by Jack Ketchum because it was less visceral and more cerebral than most of his stories... creepy and weird.The second segment was much more humorous, but just as sinister in its way... being as it's about the pressures put on women of a certain class of society. The scene at the end with all the children and their mothers spilling into the house... their clothes and costumes and hair... it was hilarious and horrific at the same time. Again, my friend didn't particularly care for that segment but I think she didn't see the horror in it. The third segment was the most overtly 'horror-movie' fare.It's about some campers who pick the wrong place to spend the night. Well done but nothing too surprising about it. It was my least favorite segment by far, but my friend liked it best. The fourth segment was very clever indeed. It's a sequel of a sort to a famous horror film of the 60s... though it also serves as an alternate ending to the film. I wonder how many people will pick up on its hints as to that provenance... and I'm not sure it matters. My friend wouldn't have picked up on it if I hadn't pointed it out to her. It's also the segment I'd most like to go on about... but that would be hard to do without massive spoilers. There wasn't a bad segment in this, IMO. The third one was a bit average, but still not bad. The animated segments between the stories were fun too... a bit like lighter-hearted Brothers Quay shorts.

gavin6942 (1) "The Box": Susan is going home by subway with her son Danny and her daughter Jenny. There is a man with a box and the nosy Danny asks what it is. The man opens the cover and Danny glances inside the box. From that moment on, Danny does not eat anymore. This segment is alright. Though it does run a bit long, and might have made for a better fourth film rather than first, it is certainly interesting. The story is by Jack Ketchum, which is always good, and the contents of the box being a mystery adds a level of intrigue not often seen in horror.(2) "The Birthday Party": On the day of her daughter's birthday, Mary finds her husband dead in his office. She tries to hide the body since the guests for the birthday party will arrive soon. Will she succeed? This segment may be the best of the whole film. What really sells it is the offbeat, dark humor. Tim Burton comes to mind, but it is far too colorful for him. This may be the mind of St. Vincent (Annie Clark), a visionary in her own right. I am not familiar with her music, but if it has the same aesthetic as her film, I may have to check it out.(3) "Don't Fall": Four friends go camping in the wilderness and they find horror in the place. This segment comes from Roxanne Benjamin, who co-wrote "Birthday Party". However, none of the joy in that segment is found here. Others may enjoy this one, but I found it lackluster. Little happens, and it tends to revolve around aliens, which does not interest me. This would be, for me, the weakest segment.(4) "Her Only Living Son": Cora flees with her son Andy from her husband and lives in a small town. Near Andy's eighteenth birthday, his behavior changes and he discloses his dark side.The final segment, written and directed by Karyn Kusama, is somewhere in the middle. A cool concept, it never seems to reach full potential. This is a shame because Kusama has established herself on some major genre pictures, but this will probably not be remembered as one of her better attempts.Worth noting are the cool stop-motion spots between segments. I do not know who was responsible for these, but they are some of the best parts of the anthology. It is like a reminder of old MTV, except darker and with a Victorian edge.Interestingly, at the earliest planning stages, Mary Harron and Jennifer Lynch were said to be involved. They have nothing to do with the finished product. As the two biggest names on the director list, it is worth noting: does their absence help or hurt the film? Certainly it would have gotten more attention with them, but without them it may give more of a spotlight to the others involved.