Gretel & Hansel (2020)
Despite normally being able to disregard most horror films with a January release date due to the month normally being a dumping ground for some of the worst horror films of the year, there was something about Gretel & Hansel that made it stick out among the rest of the releases of the month. From the intriguing and incredibly shot and edited trailer to the fact that Oz Perkins was the one directing it after giving competent horror films in the past such as The Blackcoat's Daughter which danced with being something truly special but never quite reached that level. Following the classic story of Gretel (Sophia Lillis) and her younger brother Hansel (Sam Leakey) who end up alone in the woods and are taken in by a mysterious old woman named Holda (Alice Krige) who at first seems like a sweet woman who genuinely wants to help but soon starts to show her darker side.

The first thing to stick out in the trailer of this film which bleeds into the actual film itself was the style that it was taking on. Where some might have expected Gretel & Hansel to be a traditional jumpscare horror movie, the film much more identifies with the growingly popular slow burn A24 style of horror film coming in the same vein as It Comes at Night, Hereditary, & The Witch. Instead of focusing on actual jumpscares the film is much more concerned with building a creepy world and a disturbing atmosphere which is going to be very hit or miss for most. The film effectively draws from a fear of being alone in the dark woods and creates a world that will send shivers down plenty of audiences' backs. It is never clear if the figures in the distance are threats or simply illusions fabricated by the mind. Where some will be engaged by this enough to stay interested plenty will be frustrated waiting for something legitimate to happen.
Even if this is enough to engage audiences the biggest thing that holds this style back from being totally effective here compared to the other films previously mentioned is simply that the audience is always aware of where this film is going. Where something like The Witch worked completely with this style of teasing the audience because the audience didn't know what to expect. The film could have gone a million different ways making it feel unpredictable and even more tense. Despite a few minor changed it was always clear where Gretel & Hansel was going, therefore making the vague build up so much less interesting.
Even if this is enough to engage audiences the biggest thing that holds this style back from being totally effective here compared to the other films previously mentioned is simply that the audience is always aware of where this film is going. Where something like The Witch worked completely with this style of teasing the audience because the audience didn't know what to expect. The film could have gone a million different ways making it feel unpredictable and even more tense. Despite a few minor changed it was always clear where Gretel & Hansel was going, therefore making the vague build up so much less interesting.

The cinematography in this film by Galo Olivares is also a very hit or miss element of its production. Where the average shot is beautiful with every frame feeling like a painting with its perspectives and angles featured. Out of nowhere though the film switches to handheld shots that felt completely out of place and unneeded. Where the intention might have been to create a more disorienting visual sense, with the exception of 1 scene where the kids eat mushrooms that causes them to trip there is simply no need for this. These children are not lost in the woods and the fear never comes from that, they suffer from a psychological fear of the evil and danger that might live within the woods and this decision just did nothing to benefit the film. Past the cinematography, the actual production elements within the film are shockingly strong and sadly are being overlooked by most. The production design by Jeremy Reed is quite impressive as it takes some generic ideas from period pieces from this genre of film and put unique spins and twists on them. The visual effects also work quite well, they are overall more subtle but are still effective and impressive for what they are.
The acting is overall one of the more forgettable elements of the film. Sophia Lillis steps up into the lead of this film and overall does a good enough job, where she doesn't give any super memorable moments for such a monologue heavy and uncanny performance needed the fact that an actor as young and inexperienced as she could pull it off was decently impressive on its own. Unfortunately, Sam Leakey doesn't work nearly as well as Hansel. As is the fear with most kid performances, Leakey never finds his place in this film having to balance being a normal charismatic kid while keeping the tone and atmosphere of this film alive. The other iffy part of the film would simply be the purpose of it. The new take this version of the story tries to use is that of a more feminist point of view, often having dialogue and monologues on the power dynamics between genders mixed with some pretty obvious metaphors. Where this works to a point by the end of the film it overall does feel a bit shallow, there are so many monologues and creepy visuals that never lead to anything making the feel feel like the classic issue of focusing on style over substance at times.
Still overall, Gretel & Hansel is a pretty easy recommendation especially for those who like this style of horror movie. Where the style and majority of visuals do stand out, the film never can fully work simply due to the story it is committed to being. If it would have cut the ties between itself and the classic Hansel & Gretel story (even keeping the majority of the same plot), it could have felt more unpredictable drawing the audience further into its disturbing visuals and world. Where Gretel & Hansel lacks the depth to be considered a real classic, it still was an enjoyable and respectable horror film especially for one with its release date and Oz Perkins continues to be a director dancing with greatness who has to hit big eventually.
The acting is overall one of the more forgettable elements of the film. Sophia Lillis steps up into the lead of this film and overall does a good enough job, where she doesn't give any super memorable moments for such a monologue heavy and uncanny performance needed the fact that an actor as young and inexperienced as she could pull it off was decently impressive on its own. Unfortunately, Sam Leakey doesn't work nearly as well as Hansel. As is the fear with most kid performances, Leakey never finds his place in this film having to balance being a normal charismatic kid while keeping the tone and atmosphere of this film alive. The other iffy part of the film would simply be the purpose of it. The new take this version of the story tries to use is that of a more feminist point of view, often having dialogue and monologues on the power dynamics between genders mixed with some pretty obvious metaphors. Where this works to a point by the end of the film it overall does feel a bit shallow, there are so many monologues and creepy visuals that never lead to anything making the feel feel like the classic issue of focusing on style over substance at times.
Still overall, Gretel & Hansel is a pretty easy recommendation especially for those who like this style of horror movie. Where the style and majority of visuals do stand out, the film never can fully work simply due to the story it is committed to being. If it would have cut the ties between itself and the classic Hansel & Gretel story (even keeping the majority of the same plot), it could have felt more unpredictable drawing the audience further into its disturbing visuals and world. Where Gretel & Hansel lacks the depth to be considered a real classic, it still was an enjoyable and respectable horror film especially for one with its release date and Oz Perkins continues to be a director dancing with greatness who has to hit big eventually.