Thale

According to wikipedia this 2012 flick was made on a budget of $10,000.  I try to rate these movies on a absolute scale, but it's hard not to give this norweigian team some credit for really stretching a shoestring budget. Obviously the special effects were awful but thankfully they were used sparingly.  The acting, also not great. But the moods.  The scenes.  A couple of really great jump scares.  I thoroughly enjoyed Thale even though the plot particularly with the evil scientist who just appears because of "Nina" was pretty flakey and the ending was absurdly corny and predictable. 

However, you have to love the premise, and while I thought the tone was going to be a confusing mix between gross comedy and hokey horror, I really think they pulled it off well.  Overall I can't give it the solid B but all things consider it's in the neighborhood and I'd watch it again!

I really liked this movie. It wasn’t scary but certainly had some tense moments. I thought the acting was great. The characters were realistic and the two male leads were especially likable. Leo stayed incredibly cool and calm at all times; so much so it added some levity to the movie. And while Elvis could not maintain his composure, it reinforced the humanity of his character. The actress who portrayed Thale was also good and quite believable. Apparently the creatures are part of Norwegian folklore. I would be hesitant to wander alone in the massive forests of Norway, but the creatures weren’t inherently evil; they just didn’t like humans messing with them. Understandable.  It was much better than I anticipated. I would watch it again.