The Worst Film Ever

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Blind Alley was not what I expected, a claustrophobic slasher flick set within a lonely laundromat which goes in directions you will not see coming.This Spanish made horror is made well, fantastic cinematography, thrilling from start to finish and extremely atmospheric.With a brilliant cast across the board (Though minimal cast required) I found myself rooting for our heroine despite her being a very generic victim type.What really sets it apart from the rest is the big twist at the end which alike the likes of Orphan (2009) I can confidently say I didn't see coming at all.The films biggest flaw is its runtime, standing at only around 75 minutes long this damaged the film and due to its content felt more like a Tales From The Crypt episode than an actual movie.Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed Blind Alley but it would have benefited overwhelmingly from an additional 30 minutes.The Good: Fantastic twist Very well filmed Great tension Solid cast The Bad: Far too short Pointless side plot Things I learnt from this movie:Vampire hunters are notorious for stealing from laundromats People stereotype Cuban women as having curly hair and big butts

This movie has two things going for it. It has a pretty decent main setting of an all-night laundromat. It's NOT believable, if you know Madrid at all, that a laundromat would be that deserted late at night (it would be much more likely at 6 or 7 in the morning), but it's an effective setting nevertheless. The second is the lead actress Ana de Armas (Ana of Guns). She is first seen at a go-go dancing audition in a very short skirt and, good god, she is cute! It's a little less believable she has to work as a motel maid while waiting for her big break or that she is unlucky at love. Anyway, during her whole laundromat ordeal she is dressed in a pair of skin-tight yellow pants. It's very distracting. I don't know if it's because her ass is that mesmerizing or the rest of the movie is that boring--probably a little of both. Anyway, halfway through this I was checking the internet to see if she has ever appeared in a better movie.I disagree that this movie is a giallo. It's way too pedestrian. It's mostly just a standard-issue psycho stalker movie. She meets a scary-looking street person and a handsome young stud in the laundromat. Guess which one she has to worry about? Still, they might have pulled this off, having such a good setting and muy caliente leading actress, but then Leanor Varela shows up. Now Varela is a good actress (and pretty muy caliente herself), but unfortunately she ushers in a whiplash-inducing plot twist and some bad CGI as the movie shifts from one rather tiresome horror movie cliché to a completely different but equally tiresome one (a la "From Dusk to Dawn"). It also goes from kinda boring to really stupid.At it's best this could have been like the British movie "Creep", but it goes well off the rails even before its scant 75 minute running time is over. This is the kind of movie Hollywood OUGHT to re-make. Keep Ana and her yellow pants and the eerie all-night laundromat, throw out everything else. . .

This little known film came as a bit of a surprise for me. Not knowing what to expect, I had the expectations of the usual Spanish horror fare, but what I got was something a little bit different. Its a very simple film, done in a very stylish way. The soundtrack and camera work was reminiscent of Italian giallo, so fans of this will be pleasantly surprised by what you get. The build up was very good and relies on solid tension and suspense, over character development. It all unfolds in a very satisfactory way that will please most horror fans. Don't go into it expecting something brilliant. Just be prepared to leave your brain at the door and go along on the ride of terror as our main character tries to find a way out of her dilemma.

Blind Alley (El Callejón) is a work of art. Such well made movies don't come by very often.The plot is straightforward yet works perfectly well. Actually it's a lesson in screen writing. Ana de Armas shines as an actress, since the whole movie is on her shoulders. She makes you care for the fate of her character. And, of course, she's absolutely gorgeous. The two qualities (great acting and great looks) make her a very rare actress.The photography is amazing, perfect. Furthermore, it's packed up with very interesting tricks such as multiple perspectives in split screen. These tricks actually help the narrative.The director and writer, Antonio Trashorras, is someone to keep an eye on, for he surely will do other great stuff.The music is really good, way above average. Plenty of cool songs.Some trivia: there are a couple of scenes in which people change their accents, from Spanish accent to Cuban, from Argentinian accent to Chilean, etc. The movie is full of such original resources.Do yourself a favor and go watch this movie. Even if you're not a horror fan, you'll be delighted.