Rating of
2.5/4
Keep Your Friends Close...
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/28/16
When you're crafting a thriller that relies more on the psychological aspect of horror rather than your standard blood and jump scares, you better have a good cast backing you up. That's the good news for The Ones Below, led by the excellent David Morrissey, Clémence Poésy and Laura Birn, The Ones Below keeps you on edge wondering just who you can trust.
The story starts off strong, expecting their first child and moving into a new apartment, Kate (Poésy) and Justin (Stephen Campbell Moore) are happy enough to connect with the couple below them, also expecting, Theresa (Birn) and Jon (Morrissey). But at a welcome dinner, a tragic accident occurs - and it seems to create an irreparable rift between the couples. But after having the baby, Kate is surprised when Theresa and Jon reenter their lives. But after a series of seemingly unrelated but mounting mistakes, Kate suspects something far more sinister in their return.
The Ones Below is what I like to call a slow burn horror - one that requires you to observe the film, the nuance involved. It's not for everyone but I like a good psychological horror film and this one is a solid example of crafting the story around the characters and keeping you guessing as to who is the real villain. It does move a bit slow, but I think the payoff it worth it. If all you've known Poésy from is Harry Potter and Morrissey from The Walking Dead - they both show some impressive range here. Likewise, Birn was equally impressive. It's nice to see actors going from content and nice to paranoid to backstabbing - it's a rollercoaster experience and one that's worth taking.
The Ones Below is an excellent choice for those who want more cerebral horror over the blood and guts. The scares may not be as strong but it gets to you and gets under your skin.
