Monday 23 February 2015

ONE TO AVOID: MARA


The cover art is striking. Angelica Jansson is undeniably hot. What about the movie itself? When Jenny (Jansson) was a young girl she witnessed a murder in her home that scarred her for life. Not that you can see any physical evidence of course, and believe me, 97 minutes of Åke Gustafsson's tiresome slasher movie will give you plenty of chances to study her physical form. 


Trying to process her trauma, Jenny returns to the scene of the crime as an adult. Along with some friends, she intends to relax and enjoy herself during a weekend in this, um, secluded house in the middle of the woods. Good look with that. As you might expect, the stay turns into a waking nightmare when an intruder arrives at the house.

The opening act is dreary as Hell, consisting of a lengthy conversation between Jenny and an investigating officer that could've been addressed in five minutes. Things pick up as the guests lose their clothes, but even the lingering camera shots get tiresome after a while. Gustafsson loves shooting Angelica Jansson though, and who are we to complain, I only wish he had spent half as much time on character and story. 

The final twist is predictable, the characters are disengaging, the scares are sparse and ineffective, and performances - with the exception of Jansson's breasts - are universally flat. Mara is all tease and no substance. Avoid.


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