A pokol bugyra

Egy film, amely egy órán át zavarba ejti a nézőt, utána pedig mégis valahogyan sikerül neki igazolni a kiszámíthatóságát, de a benne lévő buta apróságokra nincs felmentése (egy pap kamerával sokkolva van egy lángoló kereszttől, egy megtöltött pisztoly az asztalon...). Az érdekes finálé pedig nem menti meg a korábbi kínos benyomásokat. De a film megérdemel érte három csillagot, mert az alkotók tovább mentek, mint ahogy azt egy nagy stúdió horrorfilmje (amelynek átgondoltabban felépített első órája lenne) meg merte volna tenni. Díszletek is rendben vannak. (2022.11.13)

A classic, soulless, second-rate borefest that is so mediocre and unremarkable that I won't remember it tomorrow. Luckily it's not very annoying and the short running time makes it bearable, but otherwise I don't see why I can recommend it. The synopsis speaks clearly and there is nothing more to add, but from the horror side it is weak and likewise with the filmmaking or acting side. (2022.11.01)

A nice surprise from Poland. Bartosz M. Kowalski is the first legitimate Polish horror director and we can expect more interesting things in the future. This film has an unconventional and fairly original theme about a detective who infiltrates a monastery as a monk to investigate the recent disappearances of women's bodies, but uncovers a terrifying conspiracy in the process. It teeters between crime thriller and satanic occult horror, an attractive combination I think, all backed up by decent craftsmanship. The locations are good (the tree in front of the monastery is breathtaking), the monastery has a lot to offer. I liked the music, I enjoyed the plot, the atmosphere was dense in places and there were a few tasty touches (a spectacular throat slitting, dismembered hanging women's bodies, or flies flying out of the monk's head), and the finale with the devil and Jesus himself had some great make-up effects. The fast pace and short running time is also pleasing, I really don't have a problem with it. The fact that it was made by Poles deserves a round up to 4 stars. 7/10. (2022.11.11)

The weak lead character and the slow pace slightly undermine the film, but both can ultimately serve the effectiveness of the finale, which works well as satanic horror film and religious satire. As a result, this is a very solid genre film, one which we can only envy our northern neighbours here in Czechia. (2022.11.10)

The prior's trickery is the devil's overture! Instead of behaving, Jura Baran prays to the other side, but who knows if Baran will even meet him from below. Musty walls, a pantry for monk's stew, buzzing winged messengers of their Lord, and an impressive ending where tonight in the monastery, no one will be left standing upright. For that, Bartosz M. Kowalski deserves the fourth point of the pentagram. Mea culpa for almost giving up on it halfway through. (2022.11.04)