An Average Movie-Goer’s Review
No spoilers! If you would like spoilers – check out the Spoiler post
I love horror movies and if I’m going to watch them anyway, why not write an entertaining/funny review from the POV of an average movie-goer and not a professional critic.
Today we’re looking at Netflix’s 2020 Italian horror film, The Binding (Il Legame in Italian)
After arriving at the home of her fiancé’s mother in Southern Italy, Emma (Mia Maestro) discovers her daughter has been cursed by a malevolent evil.
Is it Scary?
The Binding had all the ingredients to be scarier than it was. There are a few jump scares that don’t feel cheap but where it could’ve shone was the atmosphere and tension it was creating. There are a couple of well-done scenes where the suspense is pretty high and then there’s either no pay off or the movie just doesn’t go for that type of scene again.
This doesn’t make The Binding a bad movie but just one that you can definitely tell it has a few missed opportunities. Overall you won’t be scared unless you have to travel to the outskirts of Southern Italy to meet with someone who maybe dabbles in black magic.
Review:
If you’re into slow-burn horror movies, The Binding is pretty good. The acting is nothing to write home about but it’s also not bad.
The story is pretty simple but was teetering on being predictable, though some parts are painfully predictable. For most of the movie you’re trying to figure out who can be trusted, what is everyone hiding, and that does make it more entertaining than it should be.
The movie does an okay job keeping up the puzzle games but does cheat in certain parts. If you think too hard about certain scenes after the movie ends you’ll realize that the movie didn’t follow it’s own logic just to throw the viewer off.
Though there were a few good/interesting revelations that do make sense for the story. There are also a few characters that you’ll be questioning for most of the movie why they even exist. For some you’ll get answers halfway through but for others they’re just there.
Overall I would recommend The Binding, especially to anyone who likes a slow-burn horror movie but if you like the fast paced, jump scare heavy movies maybe leave this one for a rainy day.
Cast IMDB
Stuff to Ignore
Rotten Tomatoes – No Score
Metacritic – No Metacritic Page