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Movie Review: “We Are What We Are” is a Horror Mystery that brings new meaning to Family Dinner

After watching the trailer for the new horror film, We Are What We Are, I assumed I would be in for a mix of dark humor with a heavy amount of gore and disturbing images.  I thought that there was no way this movie could be taken too seriously.  But audiences should be delighted in the fact that director, Jim Mickle (Stake Land, TransAmerica), actually gives us a well-told story with a very serious and somber tone.  We Are What We Are carries an unsettling feeling throughout the entire film without having to rely on an excessive amount of blood.

Set in a secluded small town outside of the Catskill Mountains, the film focuses on the Parkers, a reclusive but seemingly normal family.  The story opens with a horrible accident in a huge rainstorm, causing the mother to have a tragic death.  As if things weren’t bad enough, her death happens around the same time the family is just about to go through a religious ritual that has been performed by the eldest woman of the house for centuries.  Still grieving over his wife’s death, the overbearing father played by Bill Sage forces his not-so-willing daughters Iris (Ambyr Childer) and Rose (Julia Garner) to take on the responsibilities of providing meat for their family; and not the kind you can buy at the market.  As the family deals with their own transitions, they are unaware that their horrifying secret is in danger of being revealed.

We Are What We Are is a remake of a 2010 Mexican film that had somewhat of a following among horror fans. I have yet to see the original film.  But from what I have read, co-writers Jim Mickle and Nick Damici have used the same premise and just changed it up a bit. The main change is the gender of the characters has been switched around.  It was the father that died and the mother forces her son to carry on the awful tradition.  Either way, I am now curious to watch the original just for the comparison.

Overall the entire cast gives surprisingly convincing performances.  Ambyr Childers and Julia Garner carry this film.  Being able to sympathize for their characters is what makes the movie so interesting.  Often times when we see a horror flick, we have to endure villains that have no remorse for their actions, and you are just waiting for them to get their karma in the end. Your heart breaks for these girls as you watch their struggle.  The whole time you are second guessing whether or not you should be feeling this way.  You never truly know what these girls are thinking.  On the other hand, there is no questioning what Bill Sage’s character is thinking.  He does an amazing job as the controlling father who stands firmly by his “religious beliefs.”

The best part of this movie is the fact that you are never completely sure what is going on.  You have an idea at times, but you do not know the whole story.  And in all honesty the less you know about the details in the plot, the better.   It’s the constant mystery that adds to the creepiness of the film.  This a smart and serious story that may have some horror fans disappointed because of the lack of blood shed.  Don’t get me wrong, there is still enough blood and graphic scenes that you will wish you didn’t see; just not so much that you lose sight of the originality and intelligence of the film.

Currently playing in select theaters!

We Are What We Are 2013 HD Trailer

Originally posted on RedCarpetCrash.com