Anyone that’s even vaguely familiar with the horror genre would be able to tell you that returning to your remote hometown after a lengthy absence is destined to end in disaster, but it’s forgivable for the cliche to be dusted off for the umpteenth time when the results prove to be as spectacular as director Tereza Nvotová’s Nightsiren.
A Gothically-infused supernatural nightmare hailing from Slovakia wouldn’t instantly jump out as something that demands to be placed onto the priorities of gorehounds everywhere, but the fact the atmospheric chiller boasts a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 100 percent to go along with a user approval rating of 80 percent highlights that it’s one fans need to add to their watch-list immediately.
Netflix subscribers have certainly been alerted to the under-the-radar gem’s existence, seeing as FlixPatrol has revealed it to be one of the most-watched features on the platform this weekend. In this instance, Natalia Germani’s Sarlota makes the mistake of descending upon her isolated mountain village for the first time in a long time, only for things to go terrifyingly awry.
Aiming to reconcile with her traumatic past, she soon ends up uncovering a disturbing truth that finds ancient myths and legends breaking through into the fabric of reality, with accusations of witchcraft and murder following swiftly behind. Nightsiren does an awful lot with very little, offering yet another reminder that just because Hollywood-backed horror is going through one of its most fertile periods in years, it doesn’t mean international contemporaries aren’t knocking it out of the park at the exact same time.
Published: Apr 10, 2023 01:29 am