3 star slow burning Finnish folk horror.
The Twin is a 2022 psychological horror film featuring a screenplay by Aleksi Hyvärinen (Lake Bodom) and Taneli Mustonen (Reunion, The Renovation), who also directs. It is his English language debut and is a Shudder Original, available to own on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 3rd October 2022 courtesy of Acorn Media International.
“Mom, you and Dad. Do you love me as much as you love Nathan?”
Rachel (Teresa Palmer – The Place of No Words) and her husband Anthony (Steven Cree – Maleficent, Brave) have just suffered a terrible loss. In a tragic car accident, one of their twin sons, Nathan, has been killed.
To give themselves a fresh start and a better life for their remaining son Elliot (Tristan Ruggeri – The Witcher), they decide to leave the United States and return to Anthony’s childhood home, a small town in Finland.
The house, which is an old rectory, is a bit creepy, but they settle in well enough. Elliot is still having trouble dealing with what has happened, even insisting that they put a second bed in the room for Nathan. He plays with his toys and even believes that he is talking to him.
At a welcome party thrown by the locals, Rachel meets up with Helen (Barbara Marten – The Turning, Oranges and Sunshine) who tells her of local secrets and draws her attention to the fact that there are no churches around.
This does not reassure Rachel and when Elliot’s behaviour gets more erratic, she takes him to the town doctor (Andres Dvinjaninov – The Dissidents) who is very unhelpful. She begins to suspect that something sinister is afoot in her Husband’s home town.
The Twin is a well written film with plenty of atmosphere and tension. It’s also got some very interesting twists and turns, although when it comes to the big reveal at the end it does leave you feeling a bit cheated, maybe a few too many red herrings along the way to the point.
The acting is superb, with Palmer very believable as a distraught grieving mother and Ruggeri is terrifying with his creepy horror film hair and blank stares. There is also a very good soundtrack from Panu Aaltio, which adds to the creepy air. The townsfolk are brilliant too, standing round in circles and staring menacingly at people, probably not something mentioned in tourist brochures for the region.
All in all, although disappointing on some levels it is still a good horror, creepy, enjoyable and well worth a watch.
“I dreamed about you Rachel. About your son. He has made a wish and it has been granted”
The Twin is available to own on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 3rd October 2022.
| Director | Taneli Mustonen |
| Genre | Horror, mystery |
| Starring | Teresa Palmer, Steven Cree, Tristan Ruggeri, Barbara Marten |
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