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Adriano Luz, Manuela Couto, Sara Carinhas, José Afonso Pimentel, João Santos ... see more see more... , Jose Pinto , Joao Pedro Vaz , Elisa Lisboa , Filipe Duarte , Gonçalo Waddington , Maria d'Aires , Miguel Borges

When a wealthy and predominant family inherits a beautiful historic home in a tiny Portuguese village, local superstition claims that they have also inherited a deadly curse in director Tiago Guedes' ... read more read more...atmospheric frightener. Dr. Monteiro has always given his wife and children the very best that money can buy, but after inheriting a sprawling estate in the countryside he ignores their pleas to sell it for a profit and instead decides to move the family in. It doesn't take long for the family to realize that the superstitious locals view the house as cursed, and as a series of ominous events begin to unfold it becomes frighteningly apparent that there may be some element of truth to the dreadful rumors. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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55% liked it

514 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Tiago Guedes

Release Date: March 2, 2006

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DVD Release Date: August 28, 2007

Stats: 31 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (31)


  • March 20, 2008
    Released in America under the title "Bad Blood", "Coisa Ruim" is slow-burning Gothic horror from that little country called Portugal. The genre is rarely explored now-a-days, especially in Portugal, so it is nice to see a return to this forgotten realm, even if the film itself is... read more flawed.

    The film's greatest strength lies in its atmosphere. The directors - Tiago Guedes and Frederico Serra - utilize long takes, slow moving dollys, and extended periods of silence to perpetual build an eerie sense of ominous and foreboding dread. In addition, the atmosphere - coupled with its slow-paced narrative - creates a very somber and melancholy tone that adds a deeper sense of emotion that is often absent from horror films.

    However, as I just mentioned, the film's pacing is glacial to say the least, and avoids any shocks or scares, which may frustrate those looking for a more frightening experience. Instead, the film is very subtle, focusing upon the psychological underpinnings of the characters, making it have a richer subtext.

    Unfortunately, this focus upon the characters and their relationships, though good, sadly limits the development of the narrative. The story certainly has an incredibly strong sense of mystery, thanks mainly to it's eerie atmosphere and moments of the surreal, but the payoff is severely lacking. The build up is great, thus the viewer expects quite a bit, but the revelation is very simplistic and obvious, and thus we are left asking, "That's it?" It was nice to see that the ending still avoided overt shocks from a more subtle denouement, but with such an incredible build up the ending can not help but be a let down.

    As a result, the film is more unnerving than frightening, depressing rather than exhilarating, and somber rather than thrilling.

    It was a pleasant throwback to the horror of yore, more emotionally complex than most, but ends up being much ado about nothing.

    Still, recommended for those who enjoy horror in the classic ghost story mode.

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