The Canal (2014)

Excellent but underrated film

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Have seen this movie at local film festival last year. Because I have never heard of this director, or any Irish movie, I decided to give it a try and I am glad to say that "The Canal" is worth watching.The story reminds me of similar movie with a bigger budget. "Sinister" from 2012 with Ethan Hawke. "The Canal"'s story follows David, an archivist of retro movies who lives with his son and a wife. He receives a movie that shows that his house was the site of a murder scene one century ago. But, it seems that David is not concerned about the information that he learned. So, when he becomes more troubled by the prospect of phantom presence, he deteriorates mentally. Rupert Evans acts very well physically and mentally in this picture. It's very easy to see him as an average man, filled with hidden anger. Also it has nice cinematography and editing(shots when we see what David sees and then in the next shot we see that there is nothing). Movie's story also shows us a lot of flashbacks and a good end. Would give it 7/10. horror fiction ever written. Also it has very nice plot twist at the end. Would recommend watching it! 7/10

This movie really put me in the mind of Sinister. Depending upon if you like Sinister this could be a good or bad thing. Sinister was more satisfying for me. This movie seemed to be lacking something. I cannot pinpoint what it was, but through the entire movie I felt like i was a hairs width away from losing concentration on it. It could have been more. The acting was very much watchable. The problem lay with the story itself, and possibly just the way the script was wrote. I cant say that I noticed a lot of cheesy lines or anything like that, it was just more like the film lacked heart. It is worth a sit through. It isn't torturous to watch it, it will only leave you wanting for a bit more than it was able to deliver.

THE CANAL is yet another faceless instalment in a never-ending run of cheap haunted house type movies in which ordinary families are scared out of their minds by apparitions and the like. You know exactly how these films will play out before they start: lots of dark sets, attempts at suspense, brooding atmosphere and the like, and not a whole lot of substance.The entirely unsympathetic Rupert Evans (HELLBOY) is a poor choice of lead, playing an uninspiring guy who moves into a murder house with his wife and young child. Eventually the family are caught up in a series of sinister events, and THE CANAL is always ready to play up the psychological angle of the hauntings, to make you wonder if the events are really happening or if they're just in the main character's head. As if we really care. The film also contains the most blatant rip-off of RING that I've yet to see.

Firstly, this is well worth a watch, purely for some of the quite creepy imagery it portrays very well. Most of which seems to be borrowed from Japanese flicks like The Ring, Dark Water and Pulse - most of which have already been remade..Unfortunately it's quite unoriginal and predictable. The plot is pretty much laid out on the back of the DVD and there are no real surprises.What I liked was the imagery - from the very start there was a great rapid cut of disturbing imagery, including the what looked like Un Chien Andalou. There was also some great creepy imagery of dead people that would give Insidious a run for it's money.The budget also limits the films somewhat. The location is never explained. We never really get a feeling of any of the character's personality in order to identify with them. The wife sounds European (Dutch?). It's never clear what the husband's job actually is - archivist?? at the start he displays the original film of Bunuel etc. to what look like high school kids? he seems to then take orders from the daughter in that Jack Dee sitcom Lead Balloon?. Oh and the police investigation is ridiculous to the point you wonder if it's supposed to be surreal.Worth a look for the cinematography and some effective jump scares.