On the 3rd Day

source: On the 3rd Day

For a movie that features some big heavyweights from the Argentinian acting scene, this movie feels incredibly amateurish. The narrative is disjointed and jumbled, and the movie is edited with no sense of cointinuity, the story (nothing new or surprising to begin with) feels like a succession of unrelated scenes. There are plenty of random oniric-like sequences peppered with fx that look like something from a 60's B horror movie, but not in a good way. Furthermore, there's little to no explanation for anything that the protagonists do, they just wander from one scene to the next doing things because the script demands it (minor spoiler: ten minutes into the movie and just after a quick exchange between them, the doctor decides to take his patient to... a psychic? Why was he so eager to help her, in the first place?. De-rigueur hypnotism session ensues and we have a glimpse into what the big reveal is going to be, and boy, is so cliche and trite, and done with the subtlety and technical prowess of an elementary school play). Acting, maybe with the exception of Gerardo Romano and the two cameo-length appearances by Arturo Bonín and Rodolfo Ranni, is mediocre. It could have been a little scary B horror movie with a 60's feel to it, but it ended up being almost like a satire.

RESERVED ONLY FOR HORROR FANS. Very unique low budget film On the 3rd Day is a great lesson in building suspense. Almost at the beginning of the film, we know something horrific has happened, but we don't know what. The filmmakers take a non-linear method of storytelling, relying primarily on flashbacks, in order to gradually reveal clues leading up to the final shocking moments. There is also a lot of unique mythos created for the film around some familiar concepts to horror fans, making things a bit more interesting. The pacing is perfect and the storytelling method perfectly keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Anghileri gives an especially powerful performance as Cecilia, making sure the audience truly cares about what happened to her and her son. On top of that, On the 3rd Day has a beautiful musical score to add to the tension as well as delightfully disturbing practical effects. I will say, the practical effects for the final big reveal and an end-credit scene are not my favorite, but a majority of the film is near-perfect.

Stylish horror worth checking out for light fun. If you enjoyed Terrified (2017) - this would be an ideal companion film for a double feature. This movie is a bit kitschier. The story is skeletal, occasionally predictable, and just enough to keep things always moving forward. It seemed to be a love letter to Bava and Argento in almost every way...Gothic overtones, and some of those characters! The flow made the viewing experience similar to reading a graphic novel or comic (better than Creepshow ever did). Some very striking and beautiful sequences and the lighting always seemed spot on. The hypnotism scene was so ambitious, fun, and well done. The basic Horror aspects of this film are rather common. Nothing here hasn't been seen before. The way they were put together, however, definitely held my interest. I was interested and curious which direction things would go. There are even a few genuine surprises. Some outrageous bits that were unintentionally amusing. Excellent practical effects. It was nothing I'd take seriously...but a very fun watch. For those confused by the ending - there is a post-credits sequence that spells it out.