Blind is a horror that comes with a potent set-up. Having recently lost her vision, Faye feels lost and alone in her Hollywood dream house. But little does she know that, skulking in the shadows, is someone who has set themselves up in her basement and has taken a particular interest in her. Blindness can be an effective device in the genre. There is potential for the loss of a sense to add to the sense of dread in a film. It’s why the likes of Don’t Breathe, A Quiet Place and Hush have such potent atmospheres to them. In the right hands Blind could have joined their ranks.
Sadly this is not to be. It’s admirable that every creative choice in Blind seems to have been the wrong one. It is a work that quickly burns through any good will it might have gained from an effective marketing campaign and an interesting plot synopsis. On a technical level so little works here that is makes the process of watching Blind maddening. Joe Knetter’s script is atrocious, packed with terrible lines and tension-sapping monologues. Klaus Pfreundner’s score is remarkable for just how often it misjudges the tone the makers are seeking and would not sound out-of-place in a daytime soap. Thomas Rist at least gives the film a professional sheen and there are even a few beautiful, neon-drenched shots to be had. But really director Marcel Walz should be held accountable for how Blind fails both to move us as a drama about someone grappling with a life-altering condition or scare us as a home invasion horror. On both counts the film is remarkably lacking.
Knetter’s writing gives the cast little to work with, but good performances can redeem the subpar words of a film. There are moments where Sarah French’s Faye feel close to gaining our sympathies and its clear with the right material French could stand-out more. She is mostly passable here outside of the last act’s preference for monologues. Caroline Williams comes with firm genre roots (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Stepfather II, Leprechaun 3) but its clear her work here won’t be making a showreel anytime soon. And Tyler Gallant’s only positive is that his dialogue comes from an audio app on hos phone.
So much of Blind doesn’t work that I almost feel like recommending it as an ironic so-bad-its-good watch. But one thing that can not be stressed enough is the total lack of tension here. Its almost remarkable as a work of anti-tension and should be used to teach prospective filmmakers how not to make a genre work. There is a good film to be made of this material but Blind is not it. It is also noteworthy how ineffective the film is as an exploration of people living with life-altering conditions and how, for the most part, it is so insensitive about this fact. What ever you do, please avoid Blind.
Sadly this is not to be. It’s admirable that every creative choice in Blind seems to have been the wrong one. It is a work that quickly burns through any good will it might have gained from an effective marketing campaign and an interesting plot synopsis. On a technical level so little works here that is makes the process of watching Blind maddening. Joe Knetter’s script is atrocious, packed with terrible lines and tension-sapping monologues. Klaus Pfreundner’s score is remarkable for just how often it misjudges the tone the makers are seeking and would not sound out-of-place in a daytime soap. Thomas Rist at least gives the film a professional sheen and there are even a few beautiful, neon-drenched shots to be had. But really director Marcel Walz should be held accountable for how Blind fails both to move us as a drama about someone grappling with a life-altering condition or scare us as a home invasion horror. On both counts the film is remarkably lacking.
Knetter’s writing gives the cast little to work with, but good performances can redeem the subpar words of a film. There are moments where Sarah French’s Faye feel close to gaining our sympathies and its clear with the right material French could stand-out more. She is mostly passable here outside of the last act’s preference for monologues. Caroline Williams comes with firm genre roots (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Stepfather II, Leprechaun 3) but its clear her work here won’t be making a showreel anytime soon. And Tyler Gallant’s only positive is that his dialogue comes from an audio app on hos phone.
So much of Blind doesn’t work that I almost feel like recommending it as an ironic so-bad-its-good watch. But one thing that can not be stressed enough is the total lack of tension here. Its almost remarkable as a work of anti-tension and should be used to teach prospective filmmakers how not to make a genre work. There is a good film to be made of this material but Blind is not it. It is also noteworthy how ineffective the film is as an exploration of people living with life-altering conditions and how, for the most part, it is so insensitive about this fact. What ever you do, please avoid Blind.