MovieChat Forums > Los ojos de Julia (2010) Discussion > The fate of the neighbour girl

The fate of the neighbour girl

posted 12 years ago by cyril_twistedmettle
5 replies | jump to latest

(SPOILERS obviously)
Now i thought that this was a good movie.It had its flaws but it had some really good scenes but one scene was so 'B-Grade horror' that it ruined the feel of the movie, and that was the death of the neighbour girl.
She was pinned to the wall by a knife running through her mouth.
That was really stupid and a a very cheap scare.The rest of the movie was mostly aesthetically sound but this was so...stupid.Why would anyone do that? So that they cant shout?But then slitting the throat would have worked fine-and why is she upright?Is that logistically possible?
AAAArgh!

[–] michahardy 12 years ago

Well I think it was made that way so they could have that banging noise that Julia hears when she is in the bathroom. The bang obviously comes from him stabbing her through the mouth onto the wall. I liked that part in the movie when Julia hears it because you are thinking what the hell is going on out there. So it plays a good part in creating more fear and anxiety for Julia/the viewer. Hmm does that make any sense? Probably not. :< But yeah when I saw the actual dead girl it felt kind of....over the top. I also didn't like the part when he slits his throat at the end. I felt like it didn't need that. and to show it so slowly. Those parts felt like they didn't fit in with the rest of the movie and belonged in something like The Collector.

[–] 235SCOPE 11 years ago

I disagree with the first comment. This movie is in the Grand Guignol genre that became popular with Italian Giallos in the 60's. As such, it is supposed to have a relatively numerous body count and each murder has to be elaborate, shocking and brutal. I think Lia's murder, which incidentally happened off camera and as such had a creepier feeling to it, came at the perfect time to confront the Belen Rueda character with the sickness of the guy in whose hands she was. I found the movie flawed in terms of some of the twists and turns (I think that it would have been much more credible if the hospital insisted that she go home while she wants to stay there, instead of the opposite), But the movie is beautifully acted, directed and photographed, and a special mention goes to the sound designer who kreeped me out with the rear sound being integrated into the story.

[–] ph75006 9 years ago

At first I also thought that Lia's murder was a bit of a "cheap shot" but then I changed my mind. Up to that point, his methods have been relatively non-gruesome - the other victims were either hung, electrocuted or stuffed in a freezer. Lia's murder was especially brutal and bloody and seemed a bit out of character. But one can reason that he was nearing a psychological breakdown - the body count was piling up and he was starting to get really anxious. He was no longer in control and his impulsive slaying of Lia was improvised, turning her weapon of choice against her.

The one thing that I didn't like was how the police showed up with guns but no flashlights. Only Belen Rueda's character was holding a flashlight and she was chasing the murderer around the room with it. Maybe the police operations are different in Spain but I always see American policeman with guns+flashlight, holding one above the other while searching dimly lit areas. For some strange reason, that particular segment annoyed me (even though there were lots of other bits that were eye-rollingly unrealistic or cliché but I didn't mind them as much).

[–] Listenupfives 11 years ago

I assume Angel did that to keep the corpse hidden, as having her upright takes up less space. If he slit the throat, blood would be all over the floor and he wouldn't of had time to clean it up before Julia left the bathroom.

But i'll admit, even that is pretty shabby reasoning. Most likely they did it like that for an undemanding jump scare and so Angel could have quick access to the knife while keeping the camera at his shoulder level by the time Julia makes it into the kitchen. They could have filmed him from behind as he removed the knife from Lia's mouth, but I think that would have lacked the horror and immediacy of seeing him just casually interact with this dead body that we get from Julia's perspective on the floor. It's a much more fluid shot when he just leans over, takes the knife and then slowly sinks into the viewer's point of view.

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

Is that logistically possible?

Probably not, but logic and this film is no exception, is frequently not seen in huge supply in horror films. I think the bang we hear is supposed to justify the manner of execution of this particular murder.🐭