MovieChat Forums > Picnic at Hanging Rock (1979) Discussion > Uncanny

Uncanny

posted 11 years ago by asktheages
7 replies | jump to latest

Of all the films I've seen, there are only a handful that can compete with PAHR in terms of staying in my mind so long after viewing, haunting me like some dream (or nightmare) I had as a kid.

How can this be described? This film is some kind of magic act (as I suppose are all great films). It does such a good job of misdirecting the viewer in the first act, that when the girls disappear so eerily and Edith lets out that scream, it comes as a huge shock. Then the rest of the film is just reverberating with uncanny things. The dreams, visions, Sarah's end, Mrs. Appleyard's end... Really, uncanny is the best word for this film. There's just something about it that lingers, and not simply the unresolved nature of the mystery. Watching it for the third time last night, I actually became frightened by it after, first time a movie's genuinely scared me in years. Strange, strange.

Then I found some stills on this board of the supposed deleted final scene: Mrs. Appleyard, in all-black mourning clothes, climbing the Rock and seeing Sarah's ghost. The simple image of Mrs. Appleyard was somehow terrifying, even though it sounds banal.

I don't know. I'm pretty sure all great films play with your subconscious to some extent in order to exert their lasting power, but I feel PAHR does this the most of anything. What a bizarre, unforgettable work of art.

[–] andykidd99 11 years ago

I agree, the haunting tone and the final shot stayed with me long after viewing.

[–] FilCap 11 years ago

I agree with you. What are some other movies that you can compare to PAHR?

[–] k-gage 11 years ago

The Innocents. One of my favorite films. The black and white photography is beautifully dream-like, and the mystery of what really happened to the old groundskeeper(?)and housekeeper/maid(?)is never really solved, was it all just a dream? Were the children purposely trying to drive the governess mad? Also themes of possible repressed sexuality on her part, set in the Victorian era. Is that what drove her mad? And came out out the end (which was quite a shocking end).

[–] Sarpedon99 11 years ago

The Woman in Black (1989).
Session 9(2001)... a totally different theme but very eerie and atmospheric.

[–] skyeaglesmith 11 years ago

Speaking of The Innocents, Criterion is releasing it in dual format in September! Also if you haven't seen PAHR in HD, then the new Criterion release is a marvel. Absolutey stunning. One of the best blu-rays ever. For sure.

[–] galnatanten 11 years ago

I do agree with what you have written. Saw the film many years ago as a teenager for the first time and I never forgot the uncanny feeling the film made me feel.
You desribe the film so well.:-)

[–] yfguitarist 10 years ago

The scene with the girls ignoring Edith, followed by her screaming, was so authentically nightmarish. While I wouldn't call the film scary at all, I did have a nightmare that night.