Ever sense watching the trailer earlier this year, I've wanted to check out Vivarium as it looked so different that most horror films coming out to main stream theatres currently. The premise is a young couple Tom and Gemma (played by Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) are looking to take the next step in their relationship and finding a "forever home". A SUPER errie realtor shows them a track house that is one of hundreds in a new development. The twist is they can't leave.. In a Twilight Zone fashion the couple is trapped in the utopia for unknown reasons by unknown forces.
The performances by the duo are really well done by showcases how panic can fester at the soul until there is nothing left. Case in point when a infant boy is left at the couple's door step to raise, things take a even darker turn. The young boy played by Senan Jennings is VERY terrifying and here's the thing, the film messes with your mind in a invasive way. Set design is minimal, cast is really only three people, so why is this movie so scary? Why did leave a mark on me? The direction of Loracan Finnegan is so well done and you can really
tell that the cast wanted to deliver for him. There are a few turns that separate the film from being just suspenseful ala Hitchock's Rear Window, but the way it made me feel was very similar. I would think that if he wanted to return to this world, he could, but as a stand alone this movie is just f'n crazy and I love it.