Audio English, Subtitles German

“This is a true story that happened in my town. So, this one Wednesday is like a normal day for the whole school. But this day was different. Every other class had all their kids, but Mrs. Gandy’s room was totally empty. And do you know why? Because the night before, at 2:17 in the morning, every kid woke up, got out of bed, walked downstairs and into the dark.

And they never came back.”

With his latest work, Director Zach Cregger has created a highly unconventional horror film. The central mystery at the heart of the plot – the simultaneous disappearance of more than twenty elementary school children and the fallout of an event like this – is observed from the perspective of several people involved and thus unfolds in ever greater detail. The result is a captivating slow-burn of a movie, which may lose some of its initial momentum in the middle section, but immediately makes up for this with a frenetic finale. I would like to give a special mention to the character played by actress Amy Madigan, who creates one of the most iconic horror movie characters of the last decade, a feat that has won her an Oscar for supporting actress. Although the film does not shy away from violence, you can still enjoy this spectacle even if normal horror is too scary for you. (SaL)