Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  I am sick and tired of badly made horror films lately. This used to be one of my favorite genres, but good horror flicks are far and few between anymore. This one isn't half bad, though. It is an Independent film, which is a plus for me. It isn't, however, for those looking… More
  I am sick and tired of badly made horror films lately. This used to be one of my favorite genres, but good horror flicks are far and few between anymore. This one isn't half bad, though. It is an Independent film, which is a plus for me. It isn't, however, for those looking for a complete bloodfest. This movie has more eerie, creepy vibes about it, until the end. Then the bloodfest commences. However, this movie is set in Poland, and they chose to make most of that time in only Polish (no subtitles). Interesting decision, and made me like the film a little less....but up to that point I found this movie rather decently done...

• Japes .

  
  The story is completely unoriginal and the writing could definitely use some work. The plot is so forced and the characters make awful decisions and the girl characters are painfully obnoxious. Like SO obnoxious. The guy character is the only rational one out of the bunch. All are… More
  The story is completely unoriginal and the writing could definitely use some work. The plot is so forced and the characters make awful decisions and the girl characters are painfully obnoxious. Like SO obnoxious. The guy character is the only rational one out of the bunch. All are terrible actors though. They aren't passionate enough. If someone was about to nail a metal bolt into your head, I expect you to do more than just whimper quietly. It's a really stupid storyline. Nothing that creepy about it considering it's been done 1,000,000,000,000 times before. I also hated the ending. I hate movies where the writer just has NO clue how the fuck he's going to end the film. He thinks about a bunch of different possible endings, but they all seem stupid/dumb/lame/etc. so in the end he just says "You know what? Let's just say *SPOILER* the town was cursed and that's why everything is happening." Like really? A curse? It would've been better if he had left the audience guessing or actually used some creativity to make a decent ending that didn't suck. I've seen so many movies that just end horribly like this one. Endings like this not only make the film worse, but they show the true laziness of the writers.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  2 and a half stars

• Todd S

  
  We see it over and over again with Horror, a film with a decent storyline, starts out great, and quickly descends into a pointless mess of blood and guts. The Shrine was a film I really wanted to like. I was intrigued by the Netflix description, and had they stuck with that story,… More
  We see it over and over again with Horror, a film with a decent storyline, starts out great, and quickly descends into a pointless mess of blood and guts. The Shrine was a film I really wanted to like. I was intrigued by the Netflix description, and had they stuck with that story, maybe this one would have been a winner, unfortunately they didn't. The Shrine starts out by telling us of a student backpacking through Europe, who goes missing in the small town of Alvania, Poland. Some reporters from his hometown get a whiff of the story and start poking around, only to find out that no one in the town is particularly interested in trying to find this kid, that's when the reports decide the only thing they can do is go there and look for him themselves. With films like Saw and The Offspring, the gore was absolutely necessary and added to the story, in The Shrine, it takes away from what was already a pretty good story. The small town was creepy and the story really played to peoples fear of disappearing without a trace, while on vacation. The film may have been a little bit slow moving, but it was very intense and interesting until the last forty-five minutes. That's when it goes demonic and becomes nothing but one bloody body after another. For me, films like the Shrine are the most disappointing of all, because the writers didn't believe in their story and ultimately destroy it in order to get more viewers. The demonic slaughterhouse may have appealed to a larger audience, but it certainly didn't make this a better film.

• Ryan M

  
  *1/2 out of **** Jon Knautz has finally followed up "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" - unseen by me - with his sophomore effort, a horror mystery film titled "The Shrine". Knautz's previous film was admired by some and not so much by others; but it had enough… More
  *1/2 out of **** Jon Knautz has finally followed up "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" - unseen by me - with his sophomore effort, a horror mystery film titled "The Shrine". Knautz's previous film was admired by some and not so much by others; but it had enough supporters for the filmmaker to move on in his career. I do not know of "Jack Brooks" and its quality, as well as what it would mean to me, and I'm still debating on whether you can really tell too much from one movie by a director who has done at least one more. But as far as I know, independent filmmakers should be moving up instead of falling down in their careers these days. So if "The Shrine" is an indicator of the possible quality of "Jack Brooks", then I don't think I will ever feel the impulse to see the thing. To avoid having to investigate the disappearance of some farmer's bees, two intern journalists named Carmen (Cindy Sampson) and Sara (Meghan Heffern) decide instead to go looking for a hiker who went missing near the fictional Polish village of Alvania. Along for the ride is Carmen's photographer boyfriend Marcus (Aaron Ashmore), with whom she's having a tough time upholding a steady relationship. When they arrive in the village, they discover that it's hidden in a thick and ominous fog. Also, there's a spooky demonic sort of statue that lays smack dab in the middle of everything. The village itself is populated by people who, for a bunch of Polish dudes and dolls, speak in very unconvincing accents. But there's something more sinister going on here than bad Polish accents. The hiker was not the first tourist to go missing in these parts. The villagers are hostile and strange; they seem to practice a bizarre religion, and soon enough we get a taste of their bad habits, which includes human sacrifice via jamming a spiked mask into the face and the eyes with a sledgehammer. Clearly, just by coming there, Carmen and company have become the cult's next victims. Carmen's sacrifice is unsuccessful, and she starts seeing demon faces on everyone; even her beloved boyfriend! "The Shrine" is only 84 minutes long, and it's fucking boring for at least 60 of those. The introduction to these characters is appallingly weak and the set-up is just overly simplistic. It evokes "The Wicker Man" and isn't quite dumb enough to try and borrow from it, but alas not smart enough to take influence from it either. The film employs some sorry excuse for build-up, and therefore we're stuck with characters that we don't care about as well as an ill-conceived premise for about the first hour. But the last twenty minutes are dynamite in comparison. There's actually some general creepiness going on there - the kind that should have been present throughout the entire picture - and from then on, it's trippy and therefore kind of entertaining. But you literally can't make up for all that lost time by that point. However intriguing its third act may be, "The Shrine" is still lazy and bland. There's some decent gore and obviously quite a bit of heart (and not a lot of brains) was put into this little film, but nothing comes out the other end. For a low-budget production, it's visually competent but only ever shines during those moments that I've already praised. I'm starting to think that the last twenty minutes were the only minutes that Knautz and his pals actually gave a shit about. The film doesn't care for those who want a movie that is smart or innovative. Take my advice and go rent an occult horror film that respects a more intellectually thirsty audience instead.

• Jacob P

  
  An outstanding horror flick filled with tons of creepy and scary scenes! An excellent horror movie!

• Daniel P

  
  Sometimes inventive, sometimes derivative horror with supernatural twists, "The Shrine" makes good use of a modest budget with atmosphere piled on just with the of some (blue-screened) fog and a hideous looking statue. Nicking bits of "The Ruins", "The… More
  Sometimes inventive, sometimes derivative horror with supernatural twists, "The Shrine" makes good use of a modest budget with atmosphere piled on just with the of some (blue-screened) fog and a hideous looking statue. Nicking bits of "The Ruins", "The Exorcist" and "The Wicker Man", some of the film's greatest strengths are the WTF factor and the refreshing lack of explanation. The short running time keeps things moving, and the script is unfussy. Destined for cult status, and worth a look.

• Greg A

  
  I love Aaron Ashmore's character in that he does not follow cliche horror film logic, his actions are motivated by a heightened survival instinct. It's not his words that instill great hope in me but his actions that however seemingly subtle they may be reassure me… More
  I love Aaron Ashmore's character in that he does not follow cliche horror film logic, his actions are motivated by a heightened survival instinct. It's not his words that instill great hope in me but his actions that however seemingly subtle they may be reassure me "this is the guy who does not want to die and knows how survive." It is a creepy gem hidden away from the mainstream's eye and I thoroughly enjoyed it.... Also, anyone notice Polish Ryan Gosling in this? Ha!

• Francisco G

  
  Americans in rural foreign land about to get their asses smacked? Check. No one knows they're there? Check. Creepy villagers? Check. Creepy children? Check. What's that? Want some more clichés? Ok then. Crazy cultists? Check. Pitched voices and sound… More
  Americans in rural foreign land about to get their asses smacked? Check. No one knows they're there? Check. Creepy villagers? Check. Creepy children? Check. What's that? Want some more clichés? Ok then. Crazy cultists? Check. Pitched voices and sound effects heard millions of times before? Double check. Curses? Check. Problems with cars? Check. Getting stuck in the cellars? Check. What's that? Had enough of clichés? Ok then. Was only creeped out by the statue scene, the execution is competent but the ideas have been exhaustively explored on many other flicks.

• John M

  
  ¨The Shrine¨ is an effective horror movie that initially it seems like "Hostel". The acting was pretty good and there are some nice creepy effects and moments. Very pleasantly surprise!

• Deb J

  
  It surprised me. Actually suspenseful and dare I say scary?!?! The trailer does not match up to this movie.......

Read all 11 featured audience ratings