The Black String: Das Böse in Dir

I love movies that keep you guessing between possible narratives, and The Black String delivered without being overwrought or pretentious. Just fun characters, a well-paced story and a great balance of scares, suspense, and a few laughs.

There are no deep dives into character backgrounds, but it's not necessary. Everyone is likable or spooky enough to keep the plot moving. Muniz is a sympathetic protagonist, and you are pretty quickly sucked into his world. A few little hints at past events are adequate to add some depth. The bad guys are sufficiently menacing and the clerk buddy is good comic relief.

This film is a welcome respite from horror films that are trying too hard to win gold medals for suspense, gore, zeitgeist or twists. It's a worthy entry in the genre that the writers and director can be proud of and fans will enjoy.