Netflix's Most Depressing Ghost Story 

*Have a request? Tell me in the comments!* Gretel & Hansel review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SyMQ_uOK4kM.html

as an avid consumer of victorian era ghost stories, I Am The Pretty Thing is LEGITIMATELY one of my favorite films ever made. I just find it pitch perfect and I honestly find it endlessly fascinating. I've often said it feels like a movie that was itself directed by a ghost, filled with hazy contradictions and dread and sadness

This is like, the ghostiest ghost movie ever made. The whole movie just feels *haunted*, you know? not in an OOGA BOOGA way but in an... I dunno, in a real way. For the record I LOVE this movie. It's not about scares, it's about fear. It's not about twists, it's about fate. It's not about excitement and drama, it's about isolation and passing.

As someone who loves 1800s ghost stories like A Turn Of The Screw, every 'warning' at the start of this video was an endorsement.

“1800s-candlelight-by-the-fire bullshit” made me cackle

The setting got me thinking of Katherine Hepburn's brother who died in 1920 when he was 16 and she 13. They saw a silent film version of Frankenstien while spending a summer with an aunt. During the film the brother let out a blood curddling scream that terrified the audience. The aunt thought perhaps the film was too much for them and took them home. The boy was an all star athlete and under tremendous pressure to excel in everything by his dad. That night he hung himself. These gothic films and stories always center around a frail girl of some kind. Would be interesting to see what the times were doing to the boys. The detective who investigated marveled "What would cause a boy to be so determined to die he forced himself to keep his knees bent?" The cieling was too low to properly hang from. If he simply stood up, he'd have lived. 13yr old Katherine found him the next morning. She eventually turned tomboy to take his place and please her dad. ...Dads.

Two Ryan Hollinger HOYEVER Horror retrospective videos in the same week? You spoil us.

I feel like the imminent death intro thing could’ve been done really well if it turned out to be Lily coming to terms with her own mortality and peace with the fact that someday she will go like Polly and Iris with only fleeting reminders of herself left. But those fleeting reminders are a good thing. Like beautiful echoes.

it's cool how you still give the film a fighting chance even though it's not your vibe. like i said in my comment on your gretel & hansel video, perkins is my favorite director, and obviously, i have a thing for the slow, flowery way he tells stories. it's cool to see it from someone else's point of view when these things are so personal to me.

Makes me wonder what would have happened if this movie was a short indie videogame instead. Not sure how much some things would have improved and some things would have stayed the same (especially if the payoff is still iffy and if there's no additions/changes added to the story), but I wonder if most of the meandering parts and basic plot of the movie would've been handled better in a videogame.

‘stay away from the mould in the walls’ resident evil reference

Loved the camerawork in this, it was so experimental and trippy. This combined with A Ghost Story are incredible examples of why I think it *being* a ghost is much scarier than encountering one. I got the sense we *weren't* supposed to really sympathize with either of the characters even though Lily appears to be the main character. It's actively hostile towards the characters. If you notice, the camera often frames her as far away, from the back or from a weird angle like someone's looking at her. I feel like the fact it's tied in with elder care is really key- anyone who's worked in a hospital or nursing home will tell you death isn't at all like the movies. It's not dramatic and shocking, it's mundane, normal, even boring. People dying is part of the procedure- eventually you go to the hospital and don't come back or get carried out on a stretcher and then they clean your room, someone has to deal with your stuff, and then someone else moves in. Humans are in the end just meat that eventually stops moving- once you're gone you'll rot or burn away and then that's the end as far as we know anything for sure.

Just got done watching it for the second time and I think either I misunderstood some bits or maybe Ryan did? The thing about cosmetic changes is that the estate will *not* pay for 'cosmetic' repairs rather but will for structural ones. Which gave me the impression that Mr Waxcap was implying that it wasn't important enough to be dealt with yet, as Ms Blum was going to die soon anyway. There was something else but I've already forgotten it...

i watched this movie years ago and really enjoyed it. i remember it as being more sad than scary, i felt bad for the mc

One of my favorite films. When people talk about having a horror genre "comfort movie" this is the one I think of. Love it!

I truly love this movie. Had a cat that came around for a while that I called Mr. Waxcap.

For me, this was the perfect gothic horror - and infinitely more unsettling than most 'horror' movies of late. Perkins' use of darkness was masterful; you can feel something looking back at you from the negative space. But, mostly, he goes for *dread* rather _terror_ - and probably why people either love it or hate it. Give me one _The Pretty Thing_ over a hundred _The Conjurings_ - a movie so tedious I started doing laundry 30 minutes in.

I adored Pretty Thing. It felt like it truly knew death and loss, and even though I knew she would die the whole time it still broke my whole heart

Glad to read in the comments that I am not the only one who loves this film. I am a big fan of Perkins’ work and I feel this is his most underrated. I will always appreciate Ryan’s reviews, however. He’s always measured and thoughtful. One of my favorite Film reviewers on this site

Super Hype for Blackcoats Daughter. One of my favorite movies

I love old, ambiguous ghost stories from the golden age of spiritualism - stories like _Turn of the Screw._ I knew from the opening narration exactly what was going to happen. The dread and suspense came from not knowing exactly when or how. For me, the result is masterful and tremendously unsettling. The theme of being trapped in darkness resonated with me. Our main character and her charge are ghosts even while they are alive - though, for different reasons, neither of them know it, yet. Like Oz Perkins, I lost one of my parents to AIDS. I got to watch them wither away, sink into AIDS-related dementia, and become a ghost long before they passed. We had a complex and not-altogether-healthy relationship, as well. So - while your review is thoughtful and detailed, as always, I find I must gently differ. For me, _I am the Pretty Thing That lives in the House_ is near perfection. Cheers!

I really love this movie, I'm glad you're covering it's I feel it's underrated but I understand why so many people don't like it. It just brings that spooky vibe to the max sometimes.

I got deadlines, HOYEVER, I can always make time for a Hollinger review!

Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite ghost stories. It reminds me of the first ghost story I ever read as a kid and the slow buildup of dread it made me feel. I think a good ghost story should be a slow burn rather than a bunch of jump scares, ‘cause it’s not about the momentary burst of adrenaline; it’s about the dread and the isolation and the slow but precarious slip into madness

I've told friends of mine about PRETTY THING when discussing LONGLEGS, and I describe it thus: "There are about 10 people in the world who adore that movie, and I'm one of them." And I fucking love, LOVE it. It was exactly the kind of horror/ghost movie for me, and I'm so happy the praise for Perkins' latest is getting PRETTY THING more views now. One of my fave horror films of the 21st century. It is on the same list of underrated horror gems as the SUSPIRIA remake for me. Criminally underrated.

I definitely must have an affinity for this sort of storytelling because I really enjoyed this movie. I'm glad to see other people talking about it.

1:28 E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey is out. Ryan Hollinger's Seven Shades of Sh*t is in. 😆

When Ryan said that he was going to cover the remaining work of Oz Perkins, I didn't think he meant this $@#& week!

I read the title and instantly thought of the movie, this movie is just that depressing. It's kind of a vibe though and it the ending really stuck with me. I really wish we had more horror movies like this, personally.

I unironically love this movie, but I really love gothic ghost stories overall. I can recognize how it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea though.

Such a good film

Missed a few weeks, it’s time to marathon

Since i was a child I've been consuming horror movies, now turning 20 I've watched hundreds of horror movies in my life yet out of all of them this one somehow always gets under my skin and gives me goosebumps

I LOVED this movie. The opening alone I have viewed dozens of times. It isn't just eerie, it's fascinating.

I'm curious about Ryan's take on this movie. It didn't do much for me but I did think it was well-crafted.

Man two vids from Ryan in the same week? The hype for “Longlegs” must be worth the binge of the director’s prior work 😉

I just realized who Oz’s dad is, and he looks just like him.

It's funny but like I was legit scared from begining to end. For me what really takes me is when you are in a house but not quite alone. Also when I watched the movie with the opening line I knew the mc would die in one way or another. Maybe because I am less sceptic and already went with the "oh ghost that makes sense."

Sir, I just cannot tell you how much I simply enjoy your videos. They are an absolute highlight to my day. Thank you.

I remember watching this movie on a whim years ago and being so terribly bored and underwhelmed by it, so I was hoping this might help me see if I was wrong BUT I guess it just wasnt a movie for me haha

I liked this movie a lot once I finally watched it all the way through but it took me three tries because I kept falling asleep during it. The only thing that made me keep trying to watch it was that my brother finished watching it that first time and said it was really good.

This is the most Ryan I've had in such a short time. Kinda wish I hadn't watched it because I expect it now. Let's go for video number three!

I watched this movie 3 times when it came out hoping that I would understand it more, but I got nothing! I even forced my mother to watch it hoping we could come to some kind of conclusion. In the end we just felt like we had wasted our time. Thankfully, as always, your video helped me get SOMETHING out of this movie.

The first time I saw this movie I hated it. Years later I watched it again and now it's one of the best ghost stories I've ever seen on screen.

I tried watching this movie on Netflix, but even with the volume all the way up and no other sounds as it was the middle of the night, I couldn't hear enough to understand anything, so I just turned it off and forgot it existed.

The protagonist revealing at the start that by the end of the film, she'll be dead: that's fine! Leaves us in suspense of how it's going to happen. Her literally telling the old woman "you almost gave me a heart attack" and then me joking "well, she's dead by heart attack". THAT pisses me off. The house feeling slightly crooked a la Hill House: that's awesome! Completely falls to shit when the house is just... cozy?? Like, I could tell the film was trying to make the viewer uncomfortable with the type of camera angles it was using but I'm like "it's cozy, lots of light, clean carpets, you hear the nature from outside, I wanna live here." And I thought that that's what they were going for, at first, like Nellie in the Haunting, she falls in love with the haunted house in a way that's distinctly Uncomfortable only for her to never leave again. And then they DIDN'T GO FOR THAT??? It just gave off all the wrong signals than I think it wanted to give off. The main character has very little personality, her anxiety has no build-up, she has no build-up of any kind really and if she did, the movie's too slow for it to be really visible (or it became visible past the point I stopped paying attention cus fuuuuuck was this boring). Maybe if the lady in the walls was slightly visible in the wallpaper, like that's how she travels around. Maybe if the main character and the old lady had more of a relationship. Maybe if the main character acted like a normal person and then slowly became the character she is in the film now, as if she represent the normal world slowly losing itself in the isolation of this house (me, yelling at the screen: UHM, if the old lady you're taking care of is yelling, MAYBE SPEED UP A BIT). Maybe if the reveal of Polly's death was more... I dunno, logical. The book doesn't have the ending, the old lady writer says she doesn't know the ending cus the ghost won't tell her. In fact, the relationship between the old lady and the ghost is more established than the old lady and the protagonist. How do we know how Polly died if nobody told us/knows it in the first place? Or maybe if it was the protagonist's imagination that got the better of her, which, again, I thought was what they were going for and then they revealed 'no, her imagination is right, a woman's dead body is in the walls and her ghost whispers in your old lady's ear' and then they promptly kill her. THE MISSED POTENTIAL, I CAN'T - Just... Yikes, I really did not like this, felt like an hour wasted. Which is a shame cus I love slow-build spooky stories. But maybe I've been spoiled too much by Mike Flanagan, the master of slow-build spooks

My wife, roommate's and myself all watch this film together. The movie emanates the vibes it sets out for the whole time. The problem we had as Ryan brings up, it's slow and just very bare bones. We started to refer to the film as "I am the pretty door in the house" because of how many lingering shots on the front door there were. If you like this sort of story telling all the power to you, but I can't bring myself to even try and watch it again.

i absolutely adore this movie, i watched it in early quarantine and it shook me to my bones. sad that there's been such little discussion around it

Don't forget the references to his mother as well -- Berry Berenson's photo is literally on the wall of the living room. EDIT: his family history is laden throughout most of his filmography. Paula Prentiss was a family friend who literally came out of retirement to play this role. (Re: Paul Jasmin, the voice of the demon in The Blackcoat's Daughter, who was one of the voices of Mother in the Psycho series).

Watched this. I love it. Even though I wouldn't watch it again and actually think its pretty boring. But it has...idk a VIBE that charmed me. It did so well at what it was trying to do.

I absolutely adore this movie... I love slow burns and this creeped me out so much!

This man is rolling out these videos like a train love em

Thank you SO MUCH for saving me 90 mins of my life and one less movie in my cue. All your vid does is make me want to just go back and rewatch the Haunting of Bly Manor.

I had a hard time watching this one, and I fully own up to the fact it wasn't for me. God bless you for analyzing this. (My ex and I always called it "I Am The Terror That Flaps In The Night" because the title always reminded us of Darkwing Duck's speeches.)

I agree with your take! I liked plenty of his other movies, but this was the first movie I've ever fallen asleep to. I'm a scaredy cat, but it was such a slow burn that i actually fell asleep and it surprised me when i realized lol

1:53 He just described a Junji Ito story.

I like that this film actually feels like ghosts, not monsters. It feels eerie. like a gothic novel. For cheap jumpscares I could pick any other Hollywood movie.

omg even just seeing the poster still gives me chills. watching it gave me the creeps even tho it was so subtle in its story

You gotta admit the title name of the movie is pretty darn good

I loved this movie, the opening narration had me hooked.

I love what you said about rewatching a movie for more details; I need a movie to be interesting on the surface level AND have deeper meanings. I think Hereditary is a great example of that. So hype for the reviews this week, and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Longlegs (after I see it)!

I watched this film years ago during a trip with my friend. It was super late at night, the bus was super dark and we were in the verge of falling asleep. The movie did creeped on us slowly, and we questioned ourselves why the main character is acting weird, and when she died of a heart attack we said the same thing you said: "that's it?" But at same time, i felt weirdly melancholic about her death and how she also turns into a blurry ghost... It really is a gothic story by the likes of Henry James and Shirley Jackson, authors i hadn't get in contact back then. Now i think i should absolutely rewatch this film again

I had to watch this movie THREE TIMES because i kept falling asleep during the slow dragged out parts. Which is weird cuz i love flower-melancholy symbolism driven stories, so goth horror is usually my bread and butter, but this movie wasn't? for some reason? idk I just kept thinking "I wish this was a book" and "maybe i should just read the script" between snores.

Ryan Hollinger drinking game: take a shot every time he says "noy".

Not Ryan making my work hours better.

Two videos in one week?!?!? You're really spoiling us man

I am also in the "I love this movie" camp, but I think this appeals to a very specific type of horror fan. I found it really beautifully sad and lonely...to me it really illustrates how in the end, no matter how we live our lives, we all take the journey of death alone. It's very reminiscent, as others have commented, of more traditional Victorian ghost stories. I get heavy Shirley Jackson vibes from it too. All that being said, I appreciate that you still gave it a shot. It's definitely not for everyone :)

I'd never heard of this film prior to your video, but the way you describe it reminds me of my take on The VVitch. The film deserves a certain degree of props for recreating an antiquated genre of storytelling (puritan narratives vs. Victorian ghost stories) but does very little to update or modernize said genres that it winds up just serving as a reminder of how those genres became antiquated in the first place rather than being entertaining or engaging films.

I have tried for so long to remember the name of this movie. Thanks.

Had to look twice or three times, two videos in one week? Awesome

2 days, 2 Ryan's videos? FUCK YEAH MY FRIENDS!

I'm one of those old people who actually has a collection of about 1000 flicks on disc (mostly obscure horror from the 70s). So for me, it is a damn crying shame this movie never had a physical release since it is one of my fave contemporary horrors and I'd love to have it on my shelf next to Let's Scare Jessica to Death. For shame Netflix.

I’ve really liked this movie for years but my biggest issue with the film is the sound mixing. It genuinely makes it hard for me to watch.

I loved this film. It was more of an atmospheric story rather than a plot or character driven one, that slowly unfolds without giving so much away that there is no sense of mystery left. I absolutely wasn't asking "is that it?" The ending felt completely satisfying to me. You have to be willing to go where the film takes you and not expect it to be something that it's not. It's a horror story in the vein of The Yellow Wallpaper, not something with the typical Hollywood plot beats and big scares.

FIrst "hoyevver" drops at 1:07. For we keep count of His progress.

Not all ghost stories need a big twist. How can anyone not love this film? It's brilliant and haunting (pun intended.)

You somehow gave the word house two syllables, i like it

I appreciate your ownership of the more subjective parts of your analysis! It really allows me room to decide for myself whether such elements are really deal-breaking or not! I also appreciate how often you reach for positivity in your reviews. Don't get me wrong, like everyone else I'm down to feast on a hate fest when it's a deserving target but most movies just aren't that level of deserving and it's more an invitation on needless rumination to be a big hater all the time lol!

Thanks for 2 whole videos in 1 week!

I really enjoyed this movie. I like horror, but my favorites are psychological and atmospheric horror and this fell very nicely into the second category for me. Most jumpscares I find cheap, giving a brief in-the-moment scare that doesn't really relate back to anything and, upon a second watch, isn't scary because you know it's coming. Pretty Thing had such a tense atmosphere throughout the whole thing because it kept building and building, leaving you wondering just *how* Lily was going to meet her death. And in the end, it was such a simple thing--a heart attack based off of fear, which was foreshadowed to us in the very beginning when Lily herself told us how much she despises horror as a genre because she is easily scared. I can absolutely understand how this kind of horror, and this movie in particular, is not for everyone, but I ended up loving it and highly recommend it to people who also love atmospheric horror.

I LOVE this film. It makes the hair on the back of neck stand up every time I watch it. I also really enjoy the soft speaking throughout the movie.

This video (and browsing comments below) is the first I've known of this movie, but I think for me the narration being known to be post-death sounds like it could be a nice touch, to find out what state of being that narration comes from, at least conceptually if not dryly mechanically.

I'm so happy you reviewed this movie, thank you ❤❤❤ It was so fun to hear your thoughts on it Honestly I love this movie, and I found it so terrifying in a strange way. Like, I feel like this movie perfectly encompassed the feeling of hearing something in the middle of the night, staring into the dark wondering what caused the sound, terrified of closing your eyes and going back to sleep if something really is there, but also too scared to turn on the lights to see what might be there. And the way ghosts were depicted in this just haunts me (no pun intended), something about it feels too real to me lmao. But I absolutely agree that the movie is pretentious and not for everyone. As much as I loved the horror of the movie, at the same time the absolute snail's pace it goes at makes it something I would definitely need to be in the right mood to rewatch

I feel like a spoiled child on christmas getting this amount of good content! :D

Cannot put my finger on the exact reason, but I absolutely love this movie. I also love The Blackcoat's Daughter.

As a regular viewer of your channel I love the multiple release thing, but I know it's not sustainable, so I'm just glad we're eatin' good right now.😊

This is my favorite Oz Perkins film (so far, I have high hopes for Longlegs). And one of my favorite horror films in general. All the things you see as negatives are what sells it for me. But I appreciate that it’s a pretty niche film and it’s not one I would typically recommend.

Hey Ryan, I really love your analyses. Glad you're covering Oz Perkins as I really like his films and I can't wait for the blackcoat's daughter! Definitely my favorite of his so far and one of my favorites of modern times in general. I also found the ending to it to ne deeply impactful and disturbing/depressing. Some siggestions would be X, Pearl, Maxxxine, The House of the Devil and Ginger Snaps! All I can think of for now

More interesting than good for me, but well-acted, directed, shot, etc. I can definitely appreciate what he was going for its just not my preferred thing. Even so he's a director to watch and I'll see longlegs when it opens.

I saw Blackcoat's Daughter a few years back when I was sick and bored. I thought it was good and still thought it was good on a rewatch later. Good stuff as always Ry

I hate that I'm subscribed and have it set to all, but RU-vid hasn't been giving me my notifications for Ryan's videos

I loved this one so much when it released and was so sad I saw no one talk about it!!

I can't wait to see what this dude does for Halloween. It's going to be amazing.

Watching someone do Tai Chi while encased in Jello moves faster than this film.

Has overusing the word pretentious ironically come full circle and is now....pretentious?

as a gothic horror lover, i find this movie to be fascinating in its slow burn. i think it would've been better as a novel, but i still enjoyed the cinematography in the movie itself

Oz Perkins?! I haven't heard that name in years! If anyone doesn’t know, his dad was the O.G. Norman Bates, the actor Anthony Perkins. Oz's younger brother Elvis is an indie rock musician who has released several fairly interesting albums. The first is largely about their mother, Berry Berenson, who was a granddaughter of avant fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli and who died on Sept 11, 2001, as a passenger on a plane that crashed into the World Trade Center towers. I think all of this background really adds context to why Oz's films are the way they are.

This movie is so dim, like its light setting is down to zero. Why? I want to see the set and actors!

I would love to see you cover Noroi: The Curse (2005)

I tried no less than 3 times to watch this and failed each time to stay awake