A Discovery of Witches’ Teresa Palmer and Steven Cree reunite in Finnish director Taneli Mustonen’s horror mystery.
They play parents Rachel and Anthony who move to Finland to rebuild their lives with surviving son Elliot (Tristan Ruggeri) following the tragic death of his twin Nathan .
Mustonen helmed enjoyable 2016 horror Lake Bodom and The Twin is a similarly agreeable-but-aggravating flick.
Performances soar, with Palmer and Cree excelling as a couple who have suffered a parent’s worst loss imaginable and the former really shining when her circumstances change during the latter stages.
Ruggeri isn’t your typical creepy movie kid and brings much more pathos and depth to his worthy work.
Veteran British star Barbara Marten plays the seemingly kooky and paranoid Helen with enough sympathy and determination to make us question whether she is the only one who knows exactly what is going on.
The big house Rachel , Anthony and Elliot move in to, the wintry backdrop and Anthony’s propensity for old-timey music and using a typewriter increases the unsettling and otherworldly atmosphere.
Mustonen shoots several night-time conversations as Anthony waxes lyrical about the new surroundings while Rachel suffers awful nightmares and voices her concerns.
But much of what we see is too overly familiar. There are miserable locals steeped in town customs, elements of possession, a mini seance, talk of Pagan rituals and the disbelieving dad oblivious to the dangers closing in.
All of these horror tropes hamper the amazing acting by taking us down roads we’ve been on several times before.
However, Mustonen and co-writer Aleksi Hyvärinen then pull the rug out from under us with a startling late twist that totally changes things.
It’s this testing turn that elevates The Twin to higher status than it was heading for as Mustonen’s mixed movie becomes a worthy lesson in pure psychological trauma.
● Are you a fan of horror movies? If so, do you have a particular type of horror that you enjoy the most?
Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any movie or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.
● The Twin is available to own on DVD now.
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