#HorrorMovie Review - Artik (2019)

Watching you flirt is like watching a car wreck. Artik

It’s no wonder I never get everything on my list watched, because it seems like new stuff gets added every day, and today’s addition is Artik (2019). I’m getting the thing that bugs me about this film off my chest right away, and that’s the grainy filter. I hate it. I thought movie creators weren’t doing it anymore. I’ll ask again. Please, stop. The use of it in this film threw me off because in most cases, it indicates that it was in the past. At first, I thought it was the 70s, and then I got baffled about the era, so I stopped worrying about it because I still don’t know.

The opening animations are quite disturbing, and I hoped as I watched them roll with the credits that the movie was, too. And it is, wow. The edginess was intense from the first sequence to the last, which was a relief. There’s a Straight Edge influence in this film that made Holton more interesting in this strange, dark universe. The musical score has an Avant-garde feel that makes the film land in the realms of bizarro. I kept having flashbacks to Hills Have Eyes (both versions), Mandy (2018), and at times House of 1,000 Corpses with the way the film was presented and the story progressed.

The story revolves around Boy Adam, who, as Artik says, has a mind of his own, and reveals secrets to Holton. I’m still unsure whether Flin Brays and Artik are the parents of the boys or not. They are referred to as keepers or owners, which is a chilling reference with the implications and the visuals that are displayed. Maybe, it’s a Straight Edge reference.

I’ve seen Lauren Ashley Carter in Darling (2015), and now seeing this film, I am delighted with her acting prowess even more. I don’t recognize anyone else in the small list of actors, but they are all exceptional in their roles. There is a small amount of gore that is effective, and had there been more it would have ruined this macabre masterpiece.

Artik is an unexpected wonder, and I give it 4.5 out of 5 Stars.