This is one of those films ludicrously overhyped, where expectation might work against it, but even so. The hype is warranted. Every aspect of this film can be complemented from the veteran actors who deliver top-tier performances, to the newcomer who absolutely defies expectation. Costumes, sets, the script, themes and subtext. Everything is on a peak pedestal, but there’s really only one scene that matters. It’s everything the film builds to and everything that informs what follows. And it is transcendent. By its design. As a plot point about the nature of music and culture that can shatter space and time and rend reality. It works. It elevates the soul. But also summons a hungry darkness.

In less capable or competent direction this would’ve been an abject failure. Here it elevates. Make no mistake, as a horror movie there are elements lacking. It’s not particularly scary. It’s sanitized on the gore front. Anything in the back half of the film is arguably weaker to the set up. The true horror is far more insidious, and demands a little bit of work to dissect. It lies between the lines, and slyly conveyed through direction and subtext. But this is a great film. A masterpiece even and the fact it skews into horror. is a blessing for genre aficionados. It’s an essay about identity, culture, expectation, potential, and all the forces aligned to defile each. and for that one scene alone, this film deserves an unreserved: