by Daniel O'Connell New England-born director Robert Eggers is one of the many on-the-rise directors that critics and film-lovers should look out for. Originally starting out as a production designer in theater, he transitioned to film and made his debut back in 2015 with the religious period horror film, The Witch. The film followed a Puritan family in 1630s New England, who are haunted by an unknown evil that lurks in the woods at the edge of their farm. Upon release, it received praise from critics, namely for its cinematography and its use of slow-building, atmospheric horror. However, it was divisive among the general moviegoing audience. They went in expecting a traditional modern horror movie with blood and jump scares. Instead, they got a minimalist, introspective psychological horror movie that explored religious paranoia in Puritan times. Now, Eggers brings his follow-up with the maritime psychological horror film, The Lighthouse. Taking place on a remote New England island in the 1890s, the film follows two lighthouse keepers, Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson), who tend and maintain a lighthouse for a four-week shift. Tensions between the two men arise, exasperated by Wake’s alcoholism. Cut off from the rest of the world, their stay is extended when a storm hits the island. Days begin to blend together, and the two men lose their grasp on reality as they slowly begin to go insane.
A two-man show between two talented actors
Haunting and harrowing presentation
IMDb IMDb
