Hurting Review from Ria

8/23/2019 Hurting Review from Ria

1/6

Group 1Bs Hurting, at first glance, comes across as a cliqued darkgothic film-of which, Ive seen too

many-however on closer inspection Group 1B employs the use of many techniques that really gives it

a gritty BBC feel. The opening title definitely gives the feel of a horror film as old metal gates-

looking a little rusty-swings backwards to reveal Lionsgate, the font making the letters seem like

worn out and scratched metal, resting on a blood red sky (figure 1.1, 1.2). Adding those elements

together means the audience is going to be anticipating a total scare-fest.

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2


2/6

This theme is continued on with the gothic font and hauntingly chilling music and the phone call with

disembodied voices of a father telling his daughter he wouldnt be coming home until early morning.

Not forgetting of course, the completely creepy drawings, masquerade masks (figure 2)-as a lover of

horror, Ive come to except that these can never mean good things-and roses in a darkened light

(figure 3).

Figure 2

Figure 3


3/6

In one scene, Group 1B cleverly uses the depth of field so that the audience may catch a glimpse of

Violets worried look as she casts a glance her digital clock (figure 4.1), only for the camera to

refocus milliseconds later and the clock to become the focal point (figure 4.2) which of course brings

to attention that it couldnt be her fatherknocking on the door.

Figure 4.1

Figure 4.2


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And so as Violet goes to check who is knocking at her door at this ungodly hour, anyone in the

audience with sense screaming in their minds for her to stay away from the window, the viewers are

treated with this point of view shot (figure 5) which conforms their fears. There is no one there. Or is

there?

I would presume that being scared half to death gets you thirsty and so Violet decides to trundle on

downstairs so that she may get a glass of water, the dark tint around the edge of every scene continues

the theme in this dark genre (figure 6). The tension rises as the audience edges to their seat waiting to

see what mad thing or person is going to jump out at her.

Figure 5

Figure 6


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In kitchen scene, the viewers are on the outside looking into Violets house, suggesting that perhaps

there may be someone there after all as the audience may be looking through his point of view (figure

7). The added element of horror is that Violet is doing something so mundane as pouring a glass of

water while, presumably someone is watching her.

I loved the idea of just as the audience is anticipating a climax as the music builds-it is cut short whenall that happens is another knock coming from the apparent invisible man (figure 8) but then again-

hearing noises when nothing is apparently is causing it, is not exactly anticlimactic. So combined with

the sudden drum beat and the quick movement of the lovely Raagavi Sivakumar, the viewers are filled

with a sense dread as they feel something bad is going to happen to Violet and soon.

Figure 7

Figure 8


6/6

All in all, I think it was a pretty good opening for the new film, Hurting. In fact, the only problem

with the video I have is that there wasnt enough of it. Honestly, I stood up and threw my

metaphorical popcorn at the screen demanding to know what happened to Violet. Of course, the

probable answer would be that she died because the closet? With a knife? And a potential madman?

(figure 9) And perhaps in the event that Violet did manage to slip away from the clique of the oh-so-

annoying-I-told-you-not-to-open-that-door hero of a horror story, Id definitely like to see more.

Figure 9

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Hurting Review from Ria