The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015)

aka February

In his directorial debut, Oz Perkins crafts a non-traditional horror film about loss and the evil which lurks within absence. Heavily influenced by the style of David Lynch, scenes are slowly eaten up by uncomfortable pauses and seemingly mundane conversations carpeted by an unsettling score which gets under your skin. As a result, an atmosphere of intrigue is created, yet at times this method instills a lull instead. The editing ensures a cryptic nature to the story. This is one that will make more sense on a second viewing. The three young women spot lit (Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, and Lucy Boynton) give methodical performances which add to the overall unease and lingering impression of the film.

3 heads in a row out of 5

I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE [2016]

Writer/director Oz Perkins' supernatural chiller I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House had me wanting to hide under the covers while watching it.
It's a simple story of a young live-in nurse that discovers her newest client's isolated country house has a history with things that go bump in the night.
Instead of using jump-scares and excessive gore, Pretty Things relies on prolonged unsettling atmosphere to creep under your skin which makes it hard to shake off.  Most modern horror fans will probably find themselves yawning and texting instead of enjoying it's near poetic creepiness.  Similar to Lynch or Polanski, Perkins conjures up the sense of even though there's nothing there, you can't help but feel something is constantly watching from the dark corners of the room or the other side of the door.  It's the perfect film to watch alone in the dark and get completely lost in it's ominous allure.

4 dried lilies out of 5