Terrified (film)
Terrified (Spanish: Aterrados) is a 2018 Argentinian horror film written and directed by Demián Rugna, concerning a series of supernatural events in a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.[1]
| Terrified | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Demián Rugna |
| Produced by | Fernando Diaz |
| Screenplay by | Demián Rugn |
| Starring | Maxi Ghione Norberto Gonzalo Elvira Onetto George L. Lewis |
| Music by | Demián Rugna |
| Cinematography | Mariano Suárez |
| Edited by | Lionel Cornistein |
| Distributed by | Aura Films |
Release date | 3 May 2018 (Argentina) |
Running time | 87 min. |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
Plot
At home in Buenos Aires, Clara hears strange voices coming from the plughole in her kitchen sink. Her husband, Juan, is perplexed when she reports that they were discussing a plan to kill her. That night, awakened by thumping sounds he assumes at first to be coming from the house next-door, Juan is horrified to find Clara's dead body hovering in midair in their bathroom, violently and repeatedly slamming against the wall as if thrown by an invisible force.
Walter, who lives next-door, is also experiencing supernatural occurrences. Each night, as he tries to sleep, invisible forces shake and move his furniture, including his bed. When he uses a video camera to film the events, he sees a tall, naked figure emerging from the wardrobe, standing over him as he sleeps, and crawling beneath the bed.
Across the road, Alicia is grieving the death of her young son, who has recently been hit by a bus outside Walter's house. Paranormal investigator, Dr. Rosenstock, arrives at the behest of Alicia's ex-boyfriend, Comisario Funes, who reveals that the corpse of the dead boy is currently sitting at the kitchen table, having apparently returned from the cemetery, leaving a trail of muddy footprints behind it. After deliberating, the two eventually move the now inanimate corpse to an outside freezer.
Nearby, Rosenstock bumps into another paranormal investigator, Mora Albreck, whom he recognises from the conference circuit. She has arrived to meet Walter, after viewing the video recordings he had sent her, but he now appears to have gone missing, leaving his house standing empty. Together with Jano, another supernatural researcher, Rosenstock and Albreck visit Juan, who is now the main suspect in his wife's murder and is being held in a psychiatric facility. Assuring him that they believe his story, they ask permission to investigate his house, which he grants.
Soon after, the specialists return to the troubled street, before separating to investigate one property each over the course of one night. Comisario Funes accompanies Rosenstock, who is based at Alicia's house. As weird phenomena occur and the investigators begin to die in gruesome and inexplicable ways, Funes realises he has no choice but to flee the scene or risk losing his own life.
Back at the psychiatric facility, the police attempt to further question Juan but he is distracted by the figure of a tall man he says is behind them. They turn around, seeing nothing except for an empty chair. Suddenly, the chair flies towards the camera, hurled by an invisible force.
Cast
- Maximiliano Ghione as Comisario Funes
- Norberto Gonzalo as Jano
- Elvira Onetto as Mora Albreck
- George L. Lewis as Rosentock
- Julieta Vallina as Alicia
- Demián Salomón as Walter
- Agustín Rittano as Juan
- Natalia Señorales as Clara
- Matias Rascovschi as Niño
- Lorenzo Langer as Patricio
Release
Terrified was first screened at the Mórbido Fest 2017 in Mexico,[2] followed by an international premiere at the 33rd Mar del Plata International Film Festival.[3] The film received a general release in Argentina on 3 May 2018, opening on a smaller-than-average number of screens (80) but coming seventh at the box office on its opening weekend.[4]
In the United States, Canada and the UK, Terrified was made available for home viewing via the streaming service Shudder.[5]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes Terrified holds a "77% fresh" rating, based on 13 reviews, representing a positive response from critics.[6] Vulture.com placed it among its "Best Horror Movies of 2018 (So Far)", writing: "Terrified won best horror feature at this year’s Fantastic Fest, and is an absolutely excellent tale of the supernatural featuring some amazing deaths and creature effects. Fans of Insidious and The Conjuring should be big fans of this one, too."[7] Kim Newman called it "[e]ffectively spooky stuff"[8] after viewing it at the London FrightFest Film Festival in 2018.
In December 2018, it was reported that Guillermo del Toro intends to produce a remake of the film for Searchlight Pictures.[9]
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, writer-director Demián Rugna revealed he was working on the second draft of a script for a sequel, Terrified 2.[10]
References
- Adelgaard, Karina. "Aterrados (5/5)". Heaven of Horror. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- Mack, Andrew. "Morbido 2017 Review: ATERRADOS (TERRIFIED), A Terrifyingly Fun Paranormal Shocker". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- Hopewell, John. "Mar del Plata: Argentina on the Rise - Demián Rugna". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- Batlle, Diego. ""Avengers: Infinity War" sigue arrasando en Argentina y el resto del mundo". OtrosCines.com. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- "Terrified: Ad-Free and Uncut". Shudder. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- "Terrified (Aterrados)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- Crucchiola, Jordan. "The Best Horror Movies of 2018 (So Far)". Vulture.com. New York magazine. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- Newman, Kim. "FrightFest review – Terrified". The Kim Newman Web Site. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- Fleming, Jr., Mike. "Fox Searchlight Sets 'Terrified' Remake: Guillermo Del Toro, Sacha Gervasi, Director Demián Rugna Team". Deadline. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- Loreti, Nic. "Exclusive Interview: Director Demian Rugna Talks About the "Terrified" Sequel in the Works". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 23 June 2020.