I can’t stop thinking of the phrase “play stupid games, win stupid prizes” whenever someone or a group of people decide to awaken the supernatural. In the new supernatural horror, Queen of Spades, a group of kids realize they are in a world of horror and mayhem when they play a game.
Ava Preston, who plays Anna, 13, and her best friends, 17, witness a teen commit suicide just after whispering “Queen of Spades” with his dying breath in Queen of Spades.
Let’s start with the good.. the only good… I appreciated the way that this film combined a horrifying folktale with the mystery and chaos of growing up, where a mirror can often serve as a source of grief. When I was 14, I remember a general distaste for reflections. Taking the example of Anna, who is a 13-year-old girl whose father can no longer be found, her mother Mary is regularly breaking her hump to put food on the table, and she rarely comes home. The situation prevents Anna from spending as much time as she would like with her mom, and the feeling is mutual. At a time in her life when one’s own self-image can feel like the enemy of one’s existence, Anna is most often alone, with little but her own reflection to occupy her time.
If you want you can stop reading right here because Queen of Spades is a terrible horror film and I regret having watched it, but if you want to know why continue reading.
Sadly, this reflection bit may be the only connection that I have made with the film, as it generally does not offer much in terms of scares or even a strong story. Scenes are abruptly cut off or dialogue is interrupted during various scenes. In reality, Anna is quite possibly a sociopath, lacking any sort of endearment other than inducing audience members to recall their childhood days as brats. The pacing is shockingly lackluster.
In an attempt to redeem this film, the actors do their best to lift it up. As a whole, the movie is quite boring, making this impossible. This film often fails at its grand ambition, rather than being a truly satisfying scare-fest for all horror fans. Despite trying to do too much, it can’t do one thing well enough for the audience to overlook the rest of its shortcomings
Passion might have helped overcome the film’s limitations and certainly inspired the cast, but passion is lacking in the film. Ultimately Queen of Spades feels like a demo reel showing you tech aspects rather than a watchable film.
Skip this one its just not worth the time, 0.5 out of 5 stars.
Director: Patrick White
Writers: John Ainslie, Patrick White
Original Story by: Svyatoslav Podgaevskiy
Stars: Ava Preston, Daniel Kash, Kaelen Ohm, Eric Osborne, Jamie Bloch, Nabil Rajo, Krista Marchand
If you still want to test your luck then you can start by watching the trailer below.
Last Updated on January 23, 2023 by Horror Facts
