Good

Horrifying Old Man

If you do end up watching this movie, there’s one guy you will never forget. I have affectionately dubbed him “Old Man Genius” because he literally makes all the right moves (except for being a horrible person). From biding his time carefully in the shadows to calling the police directly after a murder/kidnapping he committed, Old Man Genius basically ruled this movie. Oh, there’s a sequel? Old Man Genius 2.

Unique Plot/Very Layered

This was an interesting twist on the classic “Peeping Tom: guy stares at a girl through a window” stalker plot. This took the stalker and made him much more personal, more interesting. There are more layers to this plot than I expected, which I give full credit to the writers for. They didn’t have to throw in the affair, the baby, Paul, but they did and it made the movie that much better.

One example is the owner’s closet. When you watch, you’ll understand, but this is basically a descent into hell. And yet we never get to see much of it, which leaves the whole thing extremely vague and even more frightening. What happens down there? I don’t know. They didn’t tell us. That makes me both glad and more terrified.

Extreme Suspense

Very few movies of any kind have this perfect, continuous buildup of suspense. All too often, the job is rushed and the events go too quickly. This movie did everything perfect, in regards to pacing, and by the time it all blew up you’d been waiting for nearly two hours to witness it. That kind of slow-boiling soup tasted just right. (Old Man Genius would agree.)

Bad

Everybody Is Dumb

The first time I watched this movie, I was pretty clearly rooting for the pregnant wife, but on a second watch-through I noticed… even she isn’t great to cheer for. She’s controlling, her husband is (spoiler), Old Man Genius is a terribly terrible person, and none of the other characters are really fleshed out a lot. Obviously, I can’t cheer for… the girl who ends up in the basement.

Avoiding spoilers is hard. Also, I think I’m just gonna root for Paul.

Clueless Police

I still don’t really like the police scene at the end. I tried to play it off as Old Man Genius adding a masterstroke and calling the police to avert all suspicion from himself. However, the more I think, the more pointless and dumb it seems. Why must police always be so clueless in movies? Also, what policeman has that much vulgarity when responding to a missing person’s case? It just seems too unrealistic and forced in a movie that strived to be as real as possible.

Overall

The plot intricacies and Old Man Genius carry this one to an

7/10