slayrrr666 "Shiver" is an incredibly entertaining and enjoyable entry.**SPOILERS**Living with a skin-disease, Santi, (Junio Valverde) and his mother Julia, (Mar Sodupe) decide to move away from the city out to the countryside, in order to help cope with the condition. As their landlord Dimas, (Fransesc Orella) tries to help make it easier for them, his claims that something is wrong with the house is rebuffed, and even his friends at school, Angela, (Blanca Suarez) Tito, (Pau Poch) and Leo, (Jimmy Barnatan) are a little unsure of his stories until a neighboring child dies. As more villagers mysteriously die under violent circumstances while he's around, they begin to suspect him as the source of the mysterious events around town and begin to harass him for it. When they finally learn the true identity of the perpetrator of the vicious deaths around the town, they try to convince the others of their story while making sure they stop the attacks from happening.The Good News: This one here had a lot of good parts to make it extremely enjoyable and entertaining. One of the biggest parts is the fact that it manages to work in a lot of creepy and suspenseful scenes into it that are just really well-done. The first walk-through of the forest, where the bullies encounter the creature, is fantastic due to the claustrophobic and encroaching feel of the forest, aided by the fact that they're lost in the area at the time and punctuated by a series of inhuman growls and a great deal of bush-rustling that is a primal scare tactic and works wonders. Then comes the screams of pain in the distance, and the stumbling upon the mutilated body just cap off a fantastic sequence. Another big moment comes when, walking home through the forest again, another encounter is done which is just miles better. Again the rustling bushes and growling are utilized, and again they work wonderfully, but the inclusion of the game with the bouncing ball being returned every time is a great concept and is just played off beautifully. Since there's also the sound of footsteps approaching, it just so happens to feel really good that there's a good suspense tactic being employed while another one is being done, and the whole sequence is just spectacular. Along with the night-time setting making it even more dangerous and the flashlight going out, it has a lot of good workings for it and that's even before we get the brutal attack seen through the waning flashlight-light, and the discovery of that mangled body just works nicely. It's also suspenseful out-of-the-forest, as the nightmarish sequence where the shadowy figure is seen coming towards him in a darkened room during a blaring thunderstorm, and as we notice something isn't right in the room, it emerges as a shadow and uses this to great effect. Another effect one is when they board up the house after the night-time visit, and despite that, the creature still appears within and launches a chase through the house which is really enjoyable. The finale is another big plus, as the confined spaces and vicious action make it a fantastic way to finish off the film with a bang. Along with the suspense, this one has a lot of action in it, including those mentioned earlier but as well as the last sequence set in the forest, the town's manhunt for the creature. As the search party becomes lost, it echoes up the suspense earlier but the attack is just wonderful. On the other end, from the discovery of the graves to watching it through the night-vision in-the-trees to the true appearance of the creature in all its glory and the brutal kills and bloodshed during this scene, this one is a great, extended sequence. Mixed well with a fantastic opening using a great vampire-like trick to understand the condition, these are the positives.The Bad News: There wasn't a whole lot in here that didn't work. One of the flaws is the fact that there's a rather long section of the film which nothing happens at all. In the middle section, where they undergo a long time investigating what happened earlier, isn't really packed with a lot of interesting parts. From the frequent visits to the landlord that merely serve to introduce the lifestyle they should be getting accustomed to and the antics of the kids at school as well as the continued exploits of the friendship-building between everyone, these scenes just aren't that exciting and really lead that section into a dull-bit, despite the strange fact that the film is still watchable at the time. There's also the fact that the film manages to fail completely in explaining just what the villain really is. A back-story is given, but all that does is ask more questions rather than answer what was already there, and a big one it overlooks is the motive for the rampage. Mention is made of a possible one, but it just glosses over it and nothing comes of it, and is promptly forgotten quickly, not a good way to make the main villain an imposing threat. The last flaw to this one is the fact that, during the forest-stalking late in the film, the decision to film nearly the entire sequence through the night-vision camera is a disastrous idea in every way. The green that covers everything makes it look amateurish and virtually impossible to make details out, and the hand-held nature of everything makes it doubly-hard as well. A great concept, but lacking in execution, and otherwise, this one isn't bad at all.The Final Verdict: While there's a few mild flaws to be found within, this one has enough good stuff to overcome it and manages to be somewhat entertaining and enjoyable. Really recommended to those interested or fans of the style, while those who aren't should heed caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language

siderite This movie is not truly a horror, more of a mystery thing, but it reminded me of some of the good John Saul books. It has a complex plot and it is very well done. Hard to say anything about it without spoiling it, so I will just say that I enjoyed it very much and I highly recommend it.I would make a parallel to Let the Right One In, but the main character in this movie is more human friendly. The movie is better though than the Swedish one and, if that is rated 8, this can only be given a 9. Maybe people should stop rating films on how much they like the language in which they are spoken.Bottom line: very good thriller and a nice story.

Anthony Pittore III (Shattered_Wake) After Santi (Junio Valverde, 'The Devil's Backbone') is warned by his doctors of his worsening allergy to sunlight, he and his mother move to a remote town in a sunless valley. Soon after they arrive, strange events occur around the village. First, a farmer's sheep is viciously mutilated and left for dead. Then, the town bully is brutally murdered. As the horrific incidents continue, it becomes clear that the one responsible for the murders wants Santi next.The past few years have brought many nations into the center ring of the horror genre. One of these recent powerhouses is Spain. With such instant classics as 'The Orphanage,' 'Rec,' and 'Pan's Labyrinth' (questionably horror, still, but impossible to not mention), Spain has aided in giving some much-needed relief from the seemingly unending stretch of Hollywood unoriginality. In late 2008, Spain released the rarely mention (stateside, at least) film entitled 'Eskalofrí' or 'Shiver.' Combining the direction of Isidro Ortiz ('Faust 5.0'), cinematography of Josep M. Civit ('Guerreros'), and the production design of Pilar Revuelta ('Pan's Labyrinth'), 'Shiver' is presented as a strikingly attractive film with some extremely beautiful and well captured settings. However, it's not all about the visuals here. A strong script by a relatively fresh group of writers is very substantial and fulfilling. The cast, of which I am mostly unfamiliar, easily manages to capture all their roles. On the other hand, I suppose there are a few problems. First the script could be a BIT juvenile at times playing off, as one reviewer said, like a darker episode of 'Buffy.' Also, I must note that the editing was not the best. Perhaps one more (or, in some instances, one less) run through the cutting room would've made for a better film as there were a few times where some great tension was ruined when the build-up was left with no reward in a too-quick cutaway. Regardless, even with the few flaws, 'Eskalofrío' remains as a very solid and genuinely creepy modern horror that satisfies the necessary style & substance of a true quality film.Final Verdict: 7.5/10.-AP3-

pookiesnackenburger A teenager with his mother pulls into a shady valley in the Spanish mountains, because the sun is less exposed. Around the same time sheep herders in the area see several sheep killed. The rural community is suspicious. We know, however: There is something in the forest, the animals and then kill people and it is not our enemy sun. Slowly comes a conspiracy, the elements of a "wolf boy" story with motifs of the vampire and werewolf movie combined. The whole thing works together, but so that at the end the overall impression "of a" film will emerge. Even as a rapprochement on the structuralist film phenomenon "Exposure" failed in the reality department. Pity, but even where HG Francis and the Spanish horror film have shown that new takes on the vampire or werewolf genre are possible.