Gretel & Hansel (2020) Review:

Re-imaging of classic tales are not uncommon practices, especially in the film making industry. Whether it be based on a pre-existing literary work or if it was completely original, Hollywood is bound to have someone remake or reboot a film that resonated with viewers. The story of Hansel and Gretel are very much a well-known story from the brothers Grim. Having all kinds of their stories adapted to different movies like Cinderella, Rapunzel or Little Red Riding Hood, the brothers Grim were able to make a number of their fairy tales stick with their readers. Up until this point though, much of the movies that depicted Hansel & Gretel were not as true to the written work. Here though, this feature seems to make it it's mission. It probably could have used a tad more tweaking.

Sophia Lillis

The story follows the basic backbone of the classic tale. In order to survive what seems to be a famine, two siblings by the name of Gretel (Sophia Lillis) and Hansel (Samuel Leakey) head out into the dark forest where they encounter a suspicious kind lady (Alice Krige) who takes them in. Written by Rob Hayes (East Meets Barry West (2009)) and directed by Anthony Perkins' son Osgood (Oz) Perkins, the executions to this adaptation has a number effective things, but still has some hurdles to overcome. The struggle that viewers might have with this film is trying to understanding the time setting. While it looks very much like viewers are being transported to the olden days, there are things that make it feel out of place. Such as Hansel's hat; it's a baseball cap. Not sure that sport was around for people to know.

There's also an aspect to the story that involves supernatural elements for certain characters. However, this isn't fully rounded out as the screenplay does not give context to its viewers. And overall, the film just isn't scary. While having a PG-13 rating usually is a bad sign, that's not even it. It's just won't make its audience scared, as the story itself is not enough to win desensitized horror fanatics. However, this does not mean the film doesn't have merit. While the film isn't scary, it definitely is creepy. Assuming Osgood Perkins inherited some of his father's horror genes, it seems the direction had the right intentions behind it. There really aren't any lively colors, which help further drive home just how bleak the setting is for the protagonists. While Osgood Perkins hasn't direct many films so far, he has had his fair share of work in other places.

The actors cast for this film also do a great job. Both Sophia Lillis & Samuel Leakey are believable as siblings and viewers should be able to care for them. Lillis was also a part of It (2017) and It: Chapter 2 (2019). However, the actress who has a more interesting presence goes to Alice Krige as the suspicious old lady the siblings happen to stumble upon. Sporting a full black cloak and speaking in a very soft tone. Krige makes sure people pay attention and it should definitely give people goosebumps. Not to mention the fact that Krige has participated in other films involving unsettling situations like Ghost Story (1981), Sleepwalkers (1992) and most notably as the borg queen from Star Trek: First Contact (1996). There's also brief appearances from some younger actors like Charles Babalola and Jessica De Gouw.

"Trust me,...I don't bite,....maybe"

The visuals, as stated before do favor the experience when watching this film. For newcomer Galo Olivares, working the camera for his first feature film seemed to come only naturally. Majority of the time, the camera is steady and is able to capture exactly what the story needs to tell the right way. Nothing is overly used nor poorly setup like other amateur horror films. Practically no horror stings. As for music, the score was composed by Robin Coudert also known as ROB. Having worked on other horror films like Horns (2013) and Maniac (2012), the sound is a surprising listening experience. Not only does Coudert include a main theme, but also mixes organic orchestra with more contemporary sounding synthesizers. Yet, it fits the film well as much as the setting takes place in what seems a different era completely.

From a narrative perspective, the script covers almost everything except for some key components that lead to the end. It's also not scary, just creepy. Which means the film still deserves a watch because the actors do their part, the camerawork is handled competently and the music is a nice listen.

Points Earned --> 6:10