The Scarapist (2015) Reviews

• Shocking, suspenseful, revelatory!

  wheresmywife2017-12-31

  A great film which exposes the mechanics of how emotional manipulators get into the heads of their "prey." Fascinating insights abound and essential viewing :)

• Worth watching especially for those who consider therapy

  mariannamankowska2018-07-17

  I watched "Scarapist' back in 2015 on La Femme Film Festival, while I was in therapy by myself. I guess it was important but scary movie to watch at that time, the fact that it's based on true story is almost unbelievable. Great actors work and really scary, twisted plot. I highly recommend!!

• Is Jeanne Spicuzza Alfred Hitchkock's grand-daughter?

  philo-274322015-10-23

  Kept me on the edge of my seat. Jeanne has the mastery to keep the viewer there without quite taking them beyond. The reason I've given ten stars is because Jeanne did everything right. Plot: Have not seen one like it. This will get the conversation going. Casting: Still haunted the next day. How did Jeanne find such people who fit perfectly into their roles? Music: Absolutely right. Music perhaps the final necessary ingredient to make everything work. As professional a presentation as I've ever seen with no need to go over the top with artificial effects. Who knows, maybe Hollywood will learn something from Jeanne?

• The Scarapist Tantalizes and Torments

  info-35082017-12-27

  I began watching The Scarapist and just couldn't stop. In true to suspense form, it held my attention and made me want to know what was going to happen throughout. The sound design, music and much of the filming and editing were masterful. My favorite performances were R. Michael Gull as Sweenie, Jeanne Marie Spicuzza as Lana, and Bryn Hartnett as Phoenix. All of the characters were well cast. I enjoyed the simplicity of the plot structure, and the complexities of the symbolism. The hypnosis scenes terrified me. The overall presentation is authentic, almost at times like a docudrama. A fascinating and highly creative approach to the subject and narrative. The treatment is very unique, like nothing I've ever seen, and, certified in film studies, I research and watch a lot of motion pictures. I was reminded of Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, especially the scene at the window between Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson, and some of the early film noir, like This Gun for Hire and Possessed. The Scarapist is what one might refer to as psychological horror, as it is truly terror that gets under the skin. So grateful that the filmmakers chose to execute The Scarapist. It gave me a great deal to think and feel about.

• WoW!

  vhcaudit2015-11-20

  Scarapist So here's the deal on the Scarapist. Prepare for your autonomic nervous system to take charge. Never mind the crisp cinematography, the fades, parries, and cuts for drama, the wet-your-pants suspense, no that's familiar landscape for noir genre. Insertion into the crisp plot as though actually present took me to new levels of sympathy for the characters, even the villain captured my pity. Granted casting the lead with a drop-dead gorgeous dame, the have-to-bite-my-hand-and-kill-myself kind of seductress drew me into her plight, but that was the filmmaker's intention. Avoid this film if you have no imagination, think you might want to vote for Sarah Palin, only watch Andy Griffith reruns. Else, head your ass over to a movie house and prepare for entertainment that you'll gush to your ex-mother-in-law, that you'll carry to your grave.