Night 21 of 31 Nights of Horror

Before the re-watch, I remembered I liked this movie, but I had forgotten how unsatisfying the ending was.

The film stars Johnny Depp as an amoral dealer in rare books. His character is kind of a dick and he plays it well. He’s hired by and even bigger dick (Frank Langella) to track down and compare two copies of a very rare book to his. The book is said to be able to summon the devil and Frank’s character thinks only one of the three is genuine.

The good. Johnny Depp, Frank Langella and Lena Olin. Great actors who do a fantastic job in this movie. I enjoyed that it plays out like a mystery and detective story all about books. I also liked the sense of dread and menace that runs through almost the entire film. From the moment Dean meets with Boris, the audience is made to feel suspicious, then anxious, nervous, paranoid, mimicking Johnny Depp’s character. The viewer never feels safe or relaxed. Even the lovemaking scenes are tense. You’re not aroused because you KNOW something is off about these women. It’s a masterfully told story.

The bad. Roman Polanski. I hate that such a terrible person still evades justice and continues to live his life free of consequences.

I’m also not a fan of the ending of the movie. Unless I missed a lot, it’s kind of ambiguous.

*Spoiler Time*

Who was The Girl? Was she a demon, an angel, Lucifer? Was the whole thing about leading Dean through the gate, Lucifer never wanted Boris in the first place? Were the Ceniza brothers part of the setup? Did the gate actually lead to hell? Was it SUPPOSED to be this confusing or did I miss signs while watching? Was this supposed to lead to a sequel? I don’t mind when a story doesn’t answer all our questions, or when the ambiguity leads to meaningful discussion among the viewers, but this was too many unanswered questions.

I’m kind of in the mood to watch From Hell now. Not sure if it fits this months theme or not.