Spoiler Alert!!! My suggestion with almost all films now: if you want to watch a film, don't watch the trailer and don't listen to reviews. This fantastic and dark film caught me by surprise and had three incredible performances from Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, and Mia Wasikowska, great direction, and a phenomenal script by Wentworth Miller. Loved it.

There are so many, so many things wrong with the film, I do not know where to begin. Why does the movie hint at suspense but reveal less than half way thru? Why are people helping (housekeeper) or not-outing (aunt) the madman? Why is it okay for people missing never to be reported or investigated? Why is this murder gene there and how does he know it is there in her? Why is the sheriff murdered? Why is Nicole Kidman playing another redheaded manic pixie milf? Why is the setting English with housekeepers and cooks and yet in the US? What are rich people doing going to govt schools on a school bus? Why are modern cars being driven but attire and bullies are from 30-40 years ago? Why are they hunting birds with rifles?

It is a sick, perverted movie for sick, perverted people. Completely devoid of any sign of humanity. Avoid at all costs. A complete waste of time. The story and the characters are shallow and uninteresting, rather repulsive and disgusting. The style is reminiscent of the art movies of the late 80s and early 90s, but what was new then, is simply empty form now. Ugly colour palette, amateurish lighting, pretentious camera angles, pointless editing tricks, forced, unnatural acting - why is that nowadays mistaken for "art"? It is also extremely slow and boring. About fifteen minutes into the movie you'll know exactly what will happen. Every single "twist". The Hitchcockian parallels are also very contrived. The whole piece feels like a sketch by a talentless wannabe-screenwriter. With a sick mind. Seriously, anyone who likes this movie should consult a psychiatrist. The sooner the better.

"Stoker" is as weird as a film can get without being classed as art- cinema. As someone who relishes dark plot lines and creepy twists, I wasn't put off by the premise, i.e. a young girl's feelings for her enigmatic uncle in the aftermath of her father's death. "Stoker" embodies a very Gothic style thanks to the brooding country house, dark clothing and macabre subject matter.The cinematography and symbolism were evidently the director's main focus: obscure camera angles capture close-ups of shoes, belts, faces, all fraught with symbolism. The plot itself, although original, is not the stand-out characteristic, being marginally too predictable and sensationalised. That said, there were several small events which I didn't anticipate, which added to the tense atmosphere of the claustrophobic house. Small, insignificant sounds are heightened in the film, both to imply India's ability to notice things that others don't, and to imply the tiny peculiarities of the Stoker family. It's this attention to minute detail which makes the film stand out above similar films.The music is at once sweeping and minimal, reflecting the sinister atmosphere. Were it not for the use of cell phones, it would be hard to place "Stoker" in a specific time zone - the Gothic atmosphere and the house's isolation mean that it could even be set within the frame of Grant Wood's "American Gothic" painting. The film is effective in making subtle jibes at American culture, from mid-US suburbia to high school chauvinism.The effectiveness of "Stoker" relies on its under-the-surface creepiness, and the wondrous performances of all 3 main actors portray it perfectly. Nicole Kidman is the bereaved, neurotic typical mother; Mia Wasikowska the morbid introverted teenage weirdo; and Matthew Goode the charming but mysterious and unknown uncle; all 3 are hiding dark internal thoughts which are revealed as the story unfolds.Despite some predictability in the plot, "Stoker" remains a dark and atmospheric drama film with an undeniable subtlety of tone.