The Parkers are a reclusive religious family which is not unusually in this rural countryside. The mother dies after suffering some kind of medical issue. The father Frank (Bill Sage) turns over the responsibilities to the older sister Iris (Ambyr Childers). He gives her a journal that dates back to 1781 revealing a long history of family cannibalism. A bone is discovered by a local which could be human, and the mother's death raises suspicions.
It's not a scary movie. That's the first question I think of with every horror movie. This movie is doing the cannibal horror movie from the point of view of the cannibals. It's an interesting take but director Jim Mickle can't figure out how to create sympathy for the girls right off the bat. The start is very boring teasing a horrible family secret. It's not that great of a mystery. He should forget about the twist and do the reveal right off the bat.
The dominating father is the heart of the monster in this movie. There could be a lot more done with the character. The last half of the movie improves a lot. This could have been an interesting original take on the horror genre. The slow start really sinks this for me.
We Are What We Are
2013
Action / Drama / Horror / Thriller
We Are What We Are
2013
Action / Drama / Horror / Thriller
Plot summary
The Parkers, reclusive people who cling to ancient customs, find their secret lives threatened when a torrential downpour and the death of the family matriarch forces daughters Iris and Rose to assume special responsibilities.
Uploaded by: OTTO
October 19, 2013 at 03:46 PM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Interesting but nothing scary
In a word, boring
WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is another Hollywood remake of a foreign horror flick, this time the Mexican horror movie of the same name. I was pretty much ambivalent about the original film, which I thought was overrated and rather dull, but this remake is even more boring and can be filed under 'pointless'.
The film is about a typical family hiding a dark secret in their midst. I won't spoil it, but said secret feels more than a little passé and is merely an excuse for a few gruesome moments here and there. Otherwise, the film is sheer tedium to watch, occasionally enlivened by a familiar supporting face (Michael Parks and Kelly McGillis particularly coming to mind).
The characters are hateful, the cinematography is dull and depressing with a grey, washed-out look throughout, and the whole thing has a mundane feel to it. I get that that was the intent - to make the horrific ordinary - but I do have to wonder what the point was. Writer/director Jim Mickle previously handled the much better STAKE LAND.
An appealing slow burn
The matriarch of the Parker family dies suddenly right before an important family ritual. It falls on eldest daughter Iris (Ambyr Childers) to take her mother's place and complete the ritual. Heavy rains and flooding have revealed evidence that leads to Doc Barrow (Michael Parks) investigating the Parkers and their connection to a host of missing people. This one's a really slow meditation on religion and familial authority that has an explosively gory climax. Kelly McGillis and Larry Fessenden turn up in supporting roles.