Review: The Last Thing Mary Saw
DVD: The Last Thing Mary Saw (2021)
Mary (Stefanie Scott) is being questioned by the local law enforcement, her eyes are covered with a piece of material, she can no longer see and blood is congealed on her cheeks from her eyes. The language of the script is biblical in line with the language used in the 1840s when the film is based, giving it along with its setting, a claustrophic edge, a promise of a slow burn before the horror hits the fan.
You see Mary is carrying on with the family’s maid Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman). Of course there was no such thing as lesbians in 1840 (true facts) so not really knowing how to cope with these 2 women, her family punish them by forcing them to kneel on rice for hours while repeating the bible. Yes, these 2 are filled with the devil and must be separated (can’t they just sack the maid?).
First time director Edoardo Vitaletti and cinematographer David Kruta give us such a gorgeous light to see the actors in, though the surroundings are basically rooms in one house, and the actors all perform beautifully.
Ah but Robert Eggers has a lot of answer for. It seems a lot of filmmakers whether or not they know it, are influenced by The Witch, a slow burn historical horror which does having a belting pay-off, and The Last Thing Mary Saw is described as a just that, slow burn, atmospheric etc… when actually the story is confusing (Is dead granny the devil? Is dead granny ..dead?), even the unexpected appearance of Rory Culkin in the kitchen does nothing to help the story jog along, in fact his rape of maid Eleanor only adds the confusion (who is he, an agent of the devil? The reincarnation of evil granny?).
By now I’d totally lost interest in it, there is no horror, there’s not even much of a story and as much as I hate to admit this, I was completely bored. Yes, it looks lovely, but it’s one of those ‘I’ll never get those 90 minutes back’ films. Right at the very end, nothing is tied together and we are left hanging as lifeless as Mary.