I haven't watched any other film by Bornedal(including the American remake, which I understand is inferior to this),but he certainly nailed this one. From start to finish, this establishes and maintains an atmosphere and crafts a tension so thick, you *can't* cut it with a knife, you'd need a razor-blade. The editing and cinematography, with only a handful of exceptions, are inspired, using light and darkness immensely well, and utterly terrifying the audience. This is marvelously well-shot. The plot is excellent, and the twist is unexpected and has a relatively subtle, yet nicely effective reveal. Granted, when you think it all through, you do have to accept one or two details that strain credulity. Still, this is exciting and creepy whenever it attempts to be, and the relatable story and credible, well-developed, human characters are the driving force of the movie. Inbetween the sequences of suspense - to keep it from overstimulating the audience - there is humor, and every joke and gag are funny, none fall flat or try too hard. The acting is impeccable, every performance is spot-on. While there are jump-scares, most of the build-up pays off, big time. The music is excellent, and contains a good bit of rock, as well as a cue that they must have composed with Psycho in mind. There is a lot of disturbing content, some sexuality(including in dialog),brief nudity and a little bloody violence in this. The DVD comes with a well-done half-hour long behind-the-scenes featurette that covers the majority of the areas of production, and the theatrical trailer. I recommend this to every fan of horror. 8/10

I guess I will be the only one to put disparagement on this beloved work which anybody on the site praises to the skies.Frankly I do not like it ,not at all.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:the screenplay is not that much strong,and the suspense is not really here.The first hour is boring and what remains is a spate of clichés:best/worst example:the killer,leaving "clues" on the dead body ,I've seen it (and read it) so many times that it leaves me amazed :how can a writer ,fifty years or so after Agatha Christie and co,still think of a such hackneyed idea?Giving the killer's identity or the key to the mystery half an hour or more before the ending can be rewarding (such was the case in "vertigo" (1958)),but here ,it destroys any fear:who could reasonably think that the hero -and his girl-could be really in jeopardy after that?Only a whodunit could sustain the interest till the very end.

But there's something more annoying:one of the characters is unbearable,the notorious Jens:the scene in the restaurant with the prostitute makes me sick:this bourgeois student really demeans this girl thanks to the power of his dough.Seeing him humiliate this human being while taking out his banknotes is one of the most despicable scenes I've seen in years ;and that does not make the "hero"-who's watching- nicer either.Besides guess who will be sacrificed when the others survive?Another gratuitous scene which comes at the most awkward moment involves Jens and his priest girlfriend in the church .It's really nauseating.That makes the very last scene even more disgusting.And you know ,I 'm far from being holier-than-thou.

I know a lot of people will disagree... but once more,there's no accounting for taste.

Even though this is not a perfect movie, it still does nothing really wrong either and this movie is basically being a great example of how to do a great and effective, more classic type, of thriller.

The movie combines many different genre elements and it keeps throwing you around. Is it going to be a horror? Is it going to be psychological thriller? Is it going to be a thriller involving a serial killer? Every time you think you have the movie all figured out it does something new and surprising. So really, it's best to simply watch this movie, without knowing what it truly is going to be all about.

And the good news about the movie as well is that it handles all of its many different themes effectively. When the movie is supposed to be horror like it's being really horror like with its atmosphere and buildup and when the movie is supposed to be more thriller like it's really being suspenseful and mysterious. What I also liked was that the movie was having some clear Giallo genre movie elements in it but then again, every modern horror/thriller involving a killer is being in one way or another derivative of the classic Italian Giallo genre.

It really was foremost the atmosphere of the whole movie that kept it going and suspenseful and interesting. The story itself, when you really start to dissect it is being quite standard for its genre. Yet the movie still manages to surprise you, due to the way it handles certain scenes and its typical genre ingredients, such as the look and feeling it has to it.

The movie also truly benefits from it that it has some good and likable characters in it. No cocky kids, or persons who think they know best and are afraid of nothing but instead some real people, with real fears and emotions. Yes, it might be true that the characters feel that way simply just because this is a Danish production, which of course has a different approach and feeling to it than a more standardized and stylized Hollywood production. Or perhaps it's just all due to some great casting and performances by its actors. This actually was being one of Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau's very first movie roles and he now days has a pretty decent acting career, with already also movies such as "Black Hawk Down", "Kingdom of Heaven" and the television series "Game of Thrones" behind his name.

Guess there is still plenty of stuff you could complain about, such as the lack of blood and gore, while there was plenty of opportunity for it, or that the killer gets revealed far before the finale and end of the movie but that doesn't take away anything from the fact that this is simply being a very effective genre movie, that's perfectly watchable, even on repeated viewings.

8/10

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