135 reviews
Shows initial promise, but does not deliver the goods
The movie started out promising enough but once the (dodgy) motive was revealed half-way through, the logical loopholes in the plot and weaknesses overall of the script started to show and it just became rather... meh.
And there was very little pay off in the end, it was supposed to be a thrilling ending but it just didn't work at all.
I don't know what more to say really, it's not a whole lot you can say about it as it is such a simple movie and it's impossible to talk about the plot without spoiling it.
But the acting was alright (Sarah Bolger will probably go on to do bigger and better things) and the cinematography was stellar, but yeah overall it just wasn't a great movie.
And there was very little pay off in the end, it was supposed to be a thrilling ending but it just didn't work at all.
I don't know what more to say really, it's not a whole lot you can say about it as it is such a simple movie and it's impossible to talk about the plot without spoiling it.
But the acting was alright (Sarah Bolger will probably go on to do bigger and better things) and the cinematography was stellar, but yeah overall it just wasn't a great movie.
- Seth_Rogue_One
- Apr 8, 2016
- Permalink
It had potential but...
An interesting enough concept that never goes anywhere
'Emelie' is one of those films that is a lot more fun if you just turn your brain off and don't think about it too much. Unfortunately for me I don't like to do that. It you stop and think about the whole story for a second you'll quickly realise none of it makes a whole lot of sense. Without spoiling any character's motives, I'll just say that there isn't a lot of common sense or reasoning going on, most of which is lacking in order to stretch this movie out to an already short 80 minute run time. The writing in thrillers is rarely perfect, but there has to be a limit to the amount of absurdity and foolishness you can accept.
It's not all bad though. Sarah Bolger in the lead role did a fantastic job. She had an eerie creepiness about her character, while always keeping some charisma in the mix. The children also did a very good job, giving performances that were above average. Often in these types of movies the kids become annoying very quickly and ruin the experience, but that was never the case here. There was some potential behind all this that I think has been squandered with some sloppy writing in parts. Director Michael Thelin in his first film did a fine job with what he had to work with and can keep his head up. Tweak the script here and there and you'd have yourself a very fine thriller.
It's not all bad though. Sarah Bolger in the lead role did a fantastic job. She had an eerie creepiness about her character, while always keeping some charisma in the mix. The children also did a very good job, giving performances that were above average. Often in these types of movies the kids become annoying very quickly and ruin the experience, but that was never the case here. There was some potential behind all this that I think has been squandered with some sloppy writing in parts. Director Michael Thelin in his first film did a fine job with what he had to work with and can keep his head up. Tweak the script here and there and you'd have yourself a very fine thriller.
- jtindahouse
- May 19, 2016
- Permalink
Throws Everything Away In Its Final Act To Finish As A Forgettable Thriller
Despite packing in an interesting premise & opening on a promising note, Emelie throws everything away in its final minutes to finish as a forgettable horror thriller. The setting is smartly built up, the suspense is effectively sustained for the majority of its runtime but what it lacks & what brings the whole film down eventually is the absence of a proper closure.
The story of Emelie follows the Thompson family that finds the couple going out to celebrate their wedding anniversary, leaving behind their three children in the care of a new babysitter. The kids are instantly enamoured by her as she allows them to do things their parents won't but as night progresses, they soon find out that their caretaker isn't what she claims to be.
Directed by Michael Thelin in what is his directional debut, Emelie takes its time to set up its plot & is often regular with its delivery of brief, unnerving moments from start to finish. It plays on every parent's worst nightmare i.e. leaving one's child in the care of a stranger, and is gripping on more occasions than one. But it could've been so much more if Thelin had figured out a better third act.
Its ominous ambiance is a definite plus as it keeps the tension alive, and the slow relaxed pacing is fitting too as it allows the plot & characters to breathe freely. Another highlight is Sarah Bolger who carries the entire film on her own and delivers a deranged performance. The kids are annoying as expected but a couple of them are nevertheless convincing in their interaction with the babysitter.
On an overall scale, Emelie had all the ingredients to finish as a nail-biting chiller but it tries to get ahead of itself in the final act and pays the price, for that move didn't just work against it but also squandered everything that had transpired before. It really is a shame because there was potential in this material but its decision to cop-out in the end ruins its chances of being counted amongst the better examples of its genre(s).
The story of Emelie follows the Thompson family that finds the couple going out to celebrate their wedding anniversary, leaving behind their three children in the care of a new babysitter. The kids are instantly enamoured by her as she allows them to do things their parents won't but as night progresses, they soon find out that their caretaker isn't what she claims to be.
Directed by Michael Thelin in what is his directional debut, Emelie takes its time to set up its plot & is often regular with its delivery of brief, unnerving moments from start to finish. It plays on every parent's worst nightmare i.e. leaving one's child in the care of a stranger, and is gripping on more occasions than one. But it could've been so much more if Thelin had figured out a better third act.
Its ominous ambiance is a definite plus as it keeps the tension alive, and the slow relaxed pacing is fitting too as it allows the plot & characters to breathe freely. Another highlight is Sarah Bolger who carries the entire film on her own and delivers a deranged performance. The kids are annoying as expected but a couple of them are nevertheless convincing in their interaction with the babysitter.
On an overall scale, Emelie had all the ingredients to finish as a nail-biting chiller but it tries to get ahead of itself in the final act and pays the price, for that move didn't just work against it but also squandered everything that had transpired before. It really is a shame because there was potential in this material but its decision to cop-out in the end ruins its chances of being counted amongst the better examples of its genre(s).
- CinemaClown
- Jul 4, 2016
- Permalink
Great idea, lazy writing **spoilers beneath the jump**
Interesting start and boring ending
A well-filmed psychological thriller with horror elements interests the first two-thirds of the timing, and then slides into something standard and seen many, many times. Of the actors, only Sarah Bolger is worth noting. Children play rather themselves and are not particularly remembered. In general, a strong middle peasant. View and put on the shelf.
Doesn't Really Do Anything Wrong But Fails To Do Anything New
By reading the premise for this film I'm sure you know that this isn't going to be some edge of your seat sophisticated thriller, it is a straightforward (mostly predictable horror/thriller that entertains enough but fails to accomplish much).
The flick started interesting enough, had me intrigued right off the bat, however from there it just kind of slows down and starts following the exact same path that many other similar movies have. As the babysitter's intentions become clear the movie got kind of bland, I just didn't really care about most of the stuff that was going on. The film managed to hold my interest enough to stop from turning the movie off but it failed to create any real tension/suspense.
It wasn't all bad, I thought the cast did a really good job, especially the child actors who all gave very realistic performances and succeeded at not really being annoying or obnoxious at all. There were a few memorable scenes as well, one that was really unintentionally funny in my opinion.
Overall this wasn't a bad movie, it did it's job of killing 1 hour & 20 minutes. It's just the whole thing has a very bland and familiar atmosphere that prevents it from being anything more than just another lower budget horror movie.
5/10
The flick started interesting enough, had me intrigued right off the bat, however from there it just kind of slows down and starts following the exact same path that many other similar movies have. As the babysitter's intentions become clear the movie got kind of bland, I just didn't really care about most of the stuff that was going on. The film managed to hold my interest enough to stop from turning the movie off but it failed to create any real tension/suspense.
It wasn't all bad, I thought the cast did a really good job, especially the child actors who all gave very realistic performances and succeeded at not really being annoying or obnoxious at all. There were a few memorable scenes as well, one that was really unintentionally funny in my opinion.
Overall this wasn't a bad movie, it did it's job of killing 1 hour & 20 minutes. It's just the whole thing has a very bland and familiar atmosphere that prevents it from being anything more than just another lower budget horror movie.
5/10
- HorrorOverEverything
- Mar 8, 2016
- Permalink
Intense, disturbing and in places infers the obscene, babysitter horror.
Emilie (who is superbly portrayed by Sarah Bolger) is a disturbingly audacious psychotic who deceives her way into the home of a family of 5, as the babysitter, for the parents who are off out for their wedding anniversary celebration dinner.
It appears that Emilie has spent some considerable time planning this deception, along with her co-conspirator boyfriend. We already know they are planning something far more malicious than theft of goods due to the crime committed in first scene, which according to some reviews is not central to the plot. It is very central to the plot, the plot needs careful observation in this movie. We do not see how they planned their crimes, but we do get to see why they planned their crimes in the old stalwart of the movies, the flashbacks.
Evil to the core, the expected mindful guardianship expected by the childrens parents is recklessly abandoned by Emilie and replaced with a calous ambivilence to the childrens morality, enthusiastically enticing the children into doing what their parents would not only not allow, but would be horrified upon discovering what they had been enticed to do.
Enticement soon turns to brazen bullying, which includes both that which is pyshically violenct and that which is mentally and morally obscene.
Jacob (superbly portrayed by Joshua Rush) as the eldest of the siblings at 11 years old, having been unable to contact (A flaw in the plot), or receive help from any adults, is left with the ardous task of getting his siblings and himself safely away from their aggressor.
The plot has perhaps a few too many flaws in it to make for a credible plot, such as the house having a telephone extension (which Emilie appears to have not noticed). Jacob could have called his parents, his neighbour or even 911, having had for much of the time, plenty of opportunities to do so.
It is an intense and disturbing thriller from start to finish, despite it's obvious flaws in the plot. I would have judged a higher score if the said flaws had been better thought out.
It appears that Emilie has spent some considerable time planning this deception, along with her co-conspirator boyfriend. We already know they are planning something far more malicious than theft of goods due to the crime committed in first scene, which according to some reviews is not central to the plot. It is very central to the plot, the plot needs careful observation in this movie. We do not see how they planned their crimes, but we do get to see why they planned their crimes in the old stalwart of the movies, the flashbacks.
Evil to the core, the expected mindful guardianship expected by the childrens parents is recklessly abandoned by Emilie and replaced with a calous ambivilence to the childrens morality, enthusiastically enticing the children into doing what their parents would not only not allow, but would be horrified upon discovering what they had been enticed to do.
Enticement soon turns to brazen bullying, which includes both that which is pyshically violenct and that which is mentally and morally obscene.
Jacob (superbly portrayed by Joshua Rush) as the eldest of the siblings at 11 years old, having been unable to contact (A flaw in the plot), or receive help from any adults, is left with the ardous task of getting his siblings and himself safely away from their aggressor.
The plot has perhaps a few too many flaws in it to make for a credible plot, such as the house having a telephone extension (which Emilie appears to have not noticed). Jacob could have called his parents, his neighbour or even 911, having had for much of the time, plenty of opportunities to do so.
It is an intense and disturbing thriller from start to finish, despite it's obvious flaws in the plot. I would have judged a higher score if the said flaws had been better thought out.
- martynmccarthy1965
- Mar 25, 2019
- Permalink
Better than I thought, but too derivative
I didn't think there was anything more that could be done with the evil babysitter genre and, on reflection, I was probably right. On the other hand there were two or three clever scenes I've not seen before but nothing that had me gripping the edge of my seat. The saddest part of the movie was the sequel-begging ending. I'm sorry, but even though cast and crew gave of their best there is nothing here I want to see again. If, like me, you downloaded this for nothing, you might be entertained late-night after a few drinks but I wouldn't pay to see it and I will certainly not be awaiting the next instalment. Plus points are that the menacing moments were exactly that - menacing rather than explicit - but the whole thing has TV movie/direct-to-DVD written all over it.
Not your typical babysitting movie
Whole movie is pointless and unbelieveable.
Expected the usual but surprised.
Sarah(Emelie) a does a great job in the lead and 'Jake' is my hero. I will not doubt an 11 yr old again. Kept me interested and watching intently throughout. Some people want no plot holes, no errors but hey, it's just a movie. Don't look for the flaws and enjoy the popcorn. I recommend this.
- gerryexdlr
- Aug 20, 2018
- Permalink
Okay
Emelie's impact falls short of what was intended for it. While disturbing, it never goes full force and almost borders on tame sometimes. The motivation seemed unnecessary to me and the film lost intensity the longer it went on. Also- I'm being picky at this point!- the transitions really bugged me. But, again, it was okay.
- lukandkilt
- Aug 3, 2018
- Permalink
It started well, but fell apart too quickly.
Initially I thought this film was going to be great, it was unusual, and very different. The atypical babysitter under siege horror this was not, so I applaud them for twisting the original format. Unfortunately after a bright start, where you were left wondering what on Earth was going on, it just fell really flat, the plot made virtually no sense, I mean how on Earth did she know she'd end up there? What was the point in the entire charade? It makes no sense. At times I thought the script was a little tasteless to say the least, putting kids through what she did was unnecessary at times, I didn't care much for it.
So it's a real mixed bag, a great idea, but unfortunately the execution was poor, the acting was great and the production values were strong. Sarah Bolger was the best thing about it.
Too many wasted opportunities. 5/10
So it's a real mixed bag, a great idea, but unfortunately the execution was poor, the acting was great and the production values were strong. Sarah Bolger was the best thing about it.
Too many wasted opportunities. 5/10
- Sleepin_Dragon
- Aug 22, 2018
- Permalink
Terrible
- arabianfreak900
- Aug 29, 2018
- Permalink
It's all Maggie's fault.
- BA_Harrison
- Jul 25, 2018
- Permalink
Terrible, do not waste your time on this!
- atkinson-30537
- Aug 20, 2018
- Permalink
Interesting psychological thriller, some may be put off with the sexual situations.
- kimheniadis
- Sep 29, 2016
- Permalink
Don't waste your time, couple of spoilers but please, avoid wasting 1 second on this garbage.
- speaktomenow
- May 5, 2016
- Permalink
Eerie, Moody Thriller
Led by the committed performance of Sarah Bolger, 'Emelie' unfolds as a creepy and atmospheric slow burn through the first hour or so, then it shifts into a kinetic, violent thriller. It never quite becomes what I consider to be a horror flick, though certain moments will evoke horror in viewers, as the twisted babysitter torments the three siblings in increasingly unsettling ways.
The music sets the tone early - right from the opening scene. A girl mentions to her friend on the phone that she isn't happy that she's been roped into babysitting tonight, then she's abruptly kidnapped by a passing car. Cut to a dad picking up a different girl and driving her to his house to babysit, and we immediately suspect that this "babysitter" is not who she claims to be. At first, she plays nice with the kids (two boys and a girl), returning to the oldest boy the game that his mom took away and letting them all paint on the wall. But her façade only holds up for so long. After she subjects the children to a particularly scarring video, they become suspicious of her, and I become suspicious of the film's concepts. The babysitter's goals and the film's goals are not in harmony. She wants something and needs to behave normally to get it, but the film wants to scare us, and to do that she must behave abnormally. At some point the film leans too heavily toward the scare efforts, which makes the babysitter's actions and plan far less believable. The first hour or so sets the mood. It's creepy and unnerving in a tame way that's particularly effective, but this approach is then abandoned in favor of one that resembles a more conventional violent thriller. Then we see the classic tropes: Characters make illogical, flat-out-dumb decisions and viewers are ambushed by a few jump scares. The stylistic turn mostly works but is nonetheless disappointing. The early moody creepfest had me so uncomfortable that I had to watch through the partially obstructed view of my fingers. It was cringey to the maximum. Though the second half of the film contained more action, I felt less suspense. The reveal was far less affecting than the eerie unknown.
Perhaps if the filmmakers put a bit more effort into the babysitter's backstory and plan, the entire movie would have held together more effectively. A few alterations could have lifted this from a watchable thriller to a terrific one.
The music sets the tone early - right from the opening scene. A girl mentions to her friend on the phone that she isn't happy that she's been roped into babysitting tonight, then she's abruptly kidnapped by a passing car. Cut to a dad picking up a different girl and driving her to his house to babysit, and we immediately suspect that this "babysitter" is not who she claims to be. At first, she plays nice with the kids (two boys and a girl), returning to the oldest boy the game that his mom took away and letting them all paint on the wall. But her façade only holds up for so long. After she subjects the children to a particularly scarring video, they become suspicious of her, and I become suspicious of the film's concepts. The babysitter's goals and the film's goals are not in harmony. She wants something and needs to behave normally to get it, but the film wants to scare us, and to do that she must behave abnormally. At some point the film leans too heavily toward the scare efforts, which makes the babysitter's actions and plan far less believable. The first hour or so sets the mood. It's creepy and unnerving in a tame way that's particularly effective, but this approach is then abandoned in favor of one that resembles a more conventional violent thriller. Then we see the classic tropes: Characters make illogical, flat-out-dumb decisions and viewers are ambushed by a few jump scares. The stylistic turn mostly works but is nonetheless disappointing. The early moody creepfest had me so uncomfortable that I had to watch through the partially obstructed view of my fingers. It was cringey to the maximum. Though the second half of the film contained more action, I felt less suspense. The reveal was far less affecting than the eerie unknown.
Perhaps if the filmmakers put a bit more effort into the babysitter's backstory and plan, the entire movie would have held together more effectively. A few alterations could have lifted this from a watchable thriller to a terrific one.
- Jared_Andrews
- Sep 8, 2018
- Permalink
"Emelie": One Word
Dumb.
Two more.
Don't watch.
Okay, last one, I promise.
EVER.
Two more.
Don't watch.
Okay, last one, I promise.
EVER.
- jtncsmistad
- Jan 11, 2019
- Permalink
A movie too well made.
- dyannabeech
- Sep 16, 2016
- Permalink
It's all there
Some people do not need reasons for doing crazy almost unspeakable things to other human beings. Others do believe they have a right because of certain circumstances. Emelie is a home invasion and even if you haven't read anything about it, that gets clear pretty early on. Though the set up at the beginning, feels like an add on to make things clear for a re-watch.
The acting is more than stellar, especially the kids are more than amazing. When you hear horror stories about working with kids and animals, those in here are not and will not be included. And it's elementary they act the way they do. It all feels natural and makes certain things more plausible. Not entirely, but at least a little. Because yes it is very stretched, but also yes to it works out in the end ... no pun intended
The acting is more than stellar, especially the kids are more than amazing. When you hear horror stories about working with kids and animals, those in here are not and will not be included. And it's elementary they act the way they do. It all feels natural and makes certain things more plausible. Not entirely, but at least a little. Because yes it is very stretched, but also yes to it works out in the end ... no pun intended
Has promise, fails in Logic
- doctripsoftheinfinite
- May 21, 2020
- Permalink
Absolutely horrible
- Getajob5389
- Aug 14, 2018
- Permalink