This film breathed life into a genre that had become dull and confused. In recent years, psychological thrillers have rarely been done well, with directors relying on horror tropes to achieve their scare factor rather than delving into the unnerving potential of the genre. Greta moved against this trend, and presented a terrifying story of an obsessive stalker turned psychopath.
When Frances McCullen finds an abandoned bag on the subway she sets out on returning it to its owner, Greta Hideg. But this seemingly sweet old woman is not as she seems. Greta becomes obsessed with Frances and begins to stalk, torment and ultimately capture the young woman.
Frances was played by Chloë Grace Moretz, whose acting left much to be desired for a majority of the film, but this was dismissible given the rest of the pictures ability to completely encapsulate you.
The film had a slow and steady pace, as Greta became gently more unhinged and her acts of terror became more invasive. The pacing allowed for audiences to become lost in the action, as at no point did the plot contrived. Greta changed from a kind and dotting old woman to a psychopath covered in blood dancing around the living room, and this change felt totally acceptable, as we had been slowly lowered into it rather than being met with insanity from the get-go.
Rather than going down the Saw route, relying on special effects and the ‘gross factor’ to elicit a response from the audience, this film played with viewers minds. Just as Frances was looking around every corner so were we, waiting for the silhouette of the old woman to appear and scare the pants off of us. The tension was high throughout the film, and by holding back on shocking gruesomeness or full outbursts of insanity, the film was able to keep its audience on their toes, wondering if the worst was yet to come.
Despite some questionable acting from some of the younger cast members and one or two startlingly obvious continuity errors, the final scene could really have afforded to be re-shot, the film was a magnificent experience. We would recommend this film to anyone looking for a good scare and lovers of the original psychological thriller genre. Just maybe don’t take the train on your way home…
