There was a movie recently called Better Watch Out (2016), where a very young teen turns on the babysitter in a number of twisted games. That movie had chutzpah.
Emelie is a highly believable family nightmare, with the baby-sitter turning on the kids. What makes Emelie a 10 is that the kids are visibly kids, and look their ages of 4, 7 and 9.
I didn't think there was anything more that could be done with the evil babysitter genre and, on reflection, I was probably right. On the other hand there were two or three clever scenes I've not seen before but nothing that had me gripping the edge of my seat.
The story is simple - a crazy sitter and three kids endangered. In the beginning the mother says to her eldest son Jake that she needs him to step up - and he has to!
Some decent dramatic tension but that's all the film decently. Drags on for too long with unlikable characters.
Horrible screenplay, half the movie is in close up shot in the dark and super slow moving in the name of make it a "thriller", otherwise a decent story and acting. The screenplay got it ruined.
Sometimes fear is more about the expectation of what's to come rather than the vile events themselves. "Emelie" plays with this insecure notion the best it can, often portraying uncomfortable situation and when frail children are concerned, it's an effective way to create thrill.
Emelie marks a thrilling feature debut for Director Michael Thelin. The film has you on the edge of your seat from the very first frame.
I watched this film with my brother and we definitely both had a good time at the movies. We were both very impressed with Michael Thelin's direction.
