Starring: Aniqa Mazumder
Director: Dominc Grose
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
A young woman (Mazumder) communicates with an otherworldly pen pan through an enchanted notebook... but there is a slight problem...
"Pen Pals" is straightforward and to the point. It hits the ground running and doesn't let up until it's over. It's a lowkey film that relies more on what isn't shown that what is. It builds tension and mood the hard way... and the last minute-and-a-half of the run-time is absolutely perfect.
This film would have gotten an 8-star rating if not for one oversight. The opening moment of that perfect climax and dénouement to the film needed a little more finessing to be fully effective. It needed a shot of the girl heading for the door, and thump or two via the foley guy. The close-up of the woman's face, laying on the floor and staring at the camera with the wide eyes and blank expression that typically signals "I am dead" in horror films might also have been even more impactful.
That gripe aside, I found "Pen Pals" an excellent film. In fact, it is so excellent that it fed my imagination, and I created some roleplaying game rules for enchanted notebooks like the one in the film. Click here to check out a draft of those at the NUELOW Games blog. (But enjoy this cool movie first!)
Creepy turn there.
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