Marrowbone aka The Secret of Marrowbone (2017)

October Challenge Day 9

Hold on to your heart strings - it's about to get dusty in here (I'm not crying you're crying)! It wasn't until after I watched Marrowbone that I saw it was written and directed by Sergio G. Sánchez - who also wrote The Orphanage [deep, guttural sob].

There are five siblings in our family, and I would do anything for my brothers - and they would do anything for me. We are tight and a force to be reckoned with should anything threaten our unit. So you can image how invested I quickly became with this story: siblings doing anything to stay together and protect themselves.

SOB. I'm already sobbing. 

In this story sibling are trapped together in a spooky old mansion, out in the woods, armed and ready to go to war their #1 threat: Their Father.

Things are already dark in this twisted tale and they get darker, terribly so. Although their home/prison/under more normal circumstances most children's fantasy palace is a mixed blessing, the story quickly reveals how this cohesive unit survives on a day-to-day basis. There is so much charm and kindness in this shadowy story, making the unraveling of it all the more shocking and (again) *dusty for the eyes.

Ghosts in the attic, fantasy in the woods, board games at night - it's hard not to fall in love with these kids. It's hard not to sympathize with their plight, especially whey their secret might be found out...

Fantastic cinematography, spooky atmosphere, wonderful acting and writing: bravo on all fronts. But prepare yourselves folks, this is a harrowing little story that will leave you with many different feelings by the end. Pairs with fresh vegetables, water, and tea. Best watched from a blanket fort.

I watched this film on Hulu, or use the Find It! Watch it! links on Horror Habit's sidebar to locate where else you can find this original and jarring twisted tale.