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M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”) deals with the fear of getting older in his latest horror thriller “Old”.
It’s a common horror film cliché: the idyll at the beginning of the film, when everything still seems to be okay. The setting is usually a big old house in nature, far away from the nearest town.
M. Night Shyamalan goes one better with this subject in his latest work. In “Old” he sends his protagonists into a veritable paradise: a luxurious holiday resort in the Caribbean, surrounded by palm trees, white sandy beaches and the turquoise sea. The protagonists fit perfectly into the picturesque setting: It is a picture book family of four. Wealthy, educated, beautiful.
Off to the (Alb) dream beach
The mysterious manager of the resort gives the family an excursion tip on the first day of the holiday: a deserted beach, a short bus ride from the hotel.
Together with other vacationers, they go on the excursion. Why the bus driver pushes a huge basket of food into her hands after arrival quickly becomes apparent: the visitors will not be able to leave this beach anytime soon.
Legend:
Paradise has turned out to be hell: on this beach everything ages at a multiple rate.
Universal Pictures International Switzerland
Trapped in paradise
Because whoever tries to leave the beach through the rocks, feels a strange pressure in the head and immediately faints. That doesn’t remain the scariest thing: a corpse will soon appear. A corpse that completely rots after a few minutes. This process usually takes years.
It soon becomes clear that everything is changing rapidly on this beach. This is particularly noticeable in the children who die at some point and are no longer even recognized by their own parents.
Race against time
But getting older doesn’t just mean external changes. The successful British boss gradually turns into a confused, aggressive racist. His younger, vain wife is completely freaked out because of her new wrinkles and frail bones. The children become teenagers in no time, fall in love, have sex – and half an hour later the baby is born.
Legend:
No way out in sight: the beach guests are mercilessly at the mercy of the fast and rapid aging process.
Universal Pictures International Switzerland
The horror of aging
Alzheimer’s disease, tumors, hearing loss – M. Night Shyamalan cleverly uses aspects of aging for surprising horror effects. What is annoying: He constantly lets his characters describe the plot.
For example, when the chief doctor’s daughter tries to climb the rock to find a way out of the misery. Screaming explains that the young nuns have responsibility and that their father is a danger to the group. Things that are obvious. M. Night Shyamalan might consider his audience to be a little wiser.
time heals all wounds
Quiet moments can be found every now and then in all of this horror action. After all, time heals all wounds, and feeling also heals the protagonists in «Old». Mother Prisca’s affair is suddenly forgiven. The couple simply no longer remembers their quarrels at an advanced age.
Unfortunately, these reflective moments are not given much space in “Old”. Here the film stays on the surface and does not exhaust its philosophical potential.
Not in-depth, but entertaining
Even if the whole thing is not very profound, «Old» is definitely an exciting experience. Few is as suitable for a horror film scenario as the oppressive notion of turbo-aging.
M. Night Shyamalan knows exactly how to grab his audience for two hours. Like its protagonists, the spectators also fare: time flies by.
Theatrical release: July 29th, 2021