Movie
Name/Year: St.
Agatha (2018)
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 103 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Production/Distribution: Dragon Blood Holdings, St.
Agatha, The Outside Writers, Uncork'd Entertainment, Netflix
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Writers: Andy Demetrio, Shaun Fletcher,
Sara Sometti Michaels, Clint Sears
Actors: Sabrina Kern, Carolyn Hennesy,
Courtney Halverson, Trin Miller, Seth Michaels, Hannah Fierman, Lindsay Seim,
Shaun Fletcher
Blurb
from IMDb: In the 1950s in small-town Georgia, a pregnant young woman named Agatha seeks refuge in a convent.
Cat’s Point of View:
At
first blush, St. Agatha reminded me somewhat of the convent season of American Horror Story (2011- ). That
soon passed, however, and gave way to a more visceral brand of horror – the sort
you think could possibly happen.
I
was raised Catholic and attended parochial school for most of my life. When I
was really little, the elementary school I attended was primarily staffed by
nuns. This was also back in the day where corporal punishment was still a
thing. The fear of the paddle was very real. Of course, most of them were
really nice and when I got sent to the principal’s office for talking too much
we had lovely chats. Every batch of apples does tend to have a bad one now and
again, though. I do remember one sister that struck fear into the hearts of
every student because she was just that strict. I imagine that a fever dream of
one such as her on a power trip could end up something like this movie.
The
narrative felt like it was bringing some sort of urban legend to life. While I
can’t recall any that specifically revolve around convent practices in this
film’s particular era, it isn’t a giant leap of imagination to picture this
sort of scenario as the deep-seated fear of any young girl pregnant out of
wedlock and faced with the possibility of being sent away to such a place for
the duration.
This
movie gave a whole different spin on the concept of feeling hopelessly trapped
by your own decisions. 2018 seems to be the year that concept was popular since Unsane (2018) explored a similar
theme with a more modern take. I think St.
Agatha could have given it a run for its money, though, had it been
similarly promoted.
When
watching this film, keep in mind that it was directed by Darren Lynn Bausman (The Devil's Carnival, Repo! The Genetic
Opera, Abattoir) – the storyteller behind three of the Saw (2004) franchise movies. There’s some fairly disgusting body
horror here. I’ll admit that some of it had me gagging. That being said, I
liked the fact that the insidious nature of events in this movie was driven by
mundane means rather than supernatural. That aspect sets this film apart from
most that deal with horror and the clergy.
All
told, St. Agatha was fairly
successful at keeping me on the edge of my seat. I wouldn’t have any problem recommending
it.
Rotten
Tomatoes Critic Score –
61%
Rotten
Tomatoes Audience Score – 42%
Metascore – 63/100
Metacritic
User Score –
5.8/10
IMDB
Score –
5.2/10
CinemaScore – None
Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5
Trust the Dice Parental Advisory Rating – R
Trust the Dice Parental Advisory Rating – R
Movie
Trailer:
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