Noise

Description

Noise is a solid horror movie, but it’s not without its flaws. It feels like the director couldn’t quite bring all his ideas to the screen, or perhaps he had so many that some had to be scrapped along the way. A few unresolved scenes definitely left me with this impression.

My biggest gripe with the film is the scene where the neighbor with a kitchen knife breaks the keypad lock and gets inside. Obviously, he was supposed to attack the girl when she returned home. But that never happens. Later on, we see the neighbor stabbing the exact same lock again to break in. It really looks like a plot hole or a continuity error. There’s hardly any other way to interpret it.

Also, I feel like the scene with the stain on the floor needed some follow-up or explanation. A very similar stain was shown in another apartment, too. I know these are just my “movie nerd” nitpicks that most people could easily overlook. I rarely notice these kinds of flaws, but here they are just too obvious to ignore.

I also think the ending should have shed more light on how the former head of the housing complex actually transformed into a supernatural entity.

Other than that, Noise strikes a great balance between social and supernatural horror. It’s awesome that the protagonist has to face two distinct threats at once, rather than just one like in most horror flicks. It’s not immediately obvious, but it becomes clear as the plot unfolds.

Overall, Noise gave me a lot more than I expected. The plot turned out to be much more interesting and intricate than your average supernatural horror movie.

P.S.
Noise inspired me to create a movie list called “Fucking Crazy Neighbors”. Actually, a while ago, another social horror already sparked the idea for a similar list called “Social Housing Horrors”. Yeah, I agree, the second one sounds way too polite and official. If I can figure out a way to split them by subgenre, I’ll make both lists. Otherwise, I’ll just have to sacrifice one of the titles.