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3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. En natt på Smygeholm remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're in the mood for a light mystery that feels like it was filmed inside a very expensive, very drafty attic, En natt på Smygeholm might scratch that itch. It’s definitely for fans of old-school, stagey ensemble films where everyone is constantly walking into rooms to look surprised. If you need pacing that actually moves or modern jump scares, you’re probably going to be bored to tears within twenty minutes.
The whole premise is just ghosts at a castle, or at least people thinking there are ghosts at a castle. It’s the kind of movie where the plot is mostly just an excuse to get people in fancy clothes to shriek at shadows. Sometimes, the shriek feels a bit too long. Like, they hold the note until it stops being scary and starts being a bit of a weird endurance test for the actors.
There’s this one hallway shot that they keep coming back to. It’s got that specific, slightly dusty lighting that makes you feel like you need a glass of water just watching it. The acting is very, very theatrical. You can tell they came from the stage because they project like they’re trying to reach the back row of an opera house. It’s charming, honestly. It doesn’t feel like a movie; it feels like you’re eavesdropping on a very loud dinner party.
I found myself thinking about Hämnaren while watching this, mostly because both films have this weird obsession with people standing in doorways looking moody. There's also a touch of that same silliness you find in Everybody's Doing It, though this one is a lot less frantic. It’s a slow burn, but the fire is more like a tiny candle in a drafty corridor.
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s got a personality. It’s a bit messy, and sometimes the characters just wander off-screen for no reason, like they remembered they had somewhere else to be. It feels less like a polished production and more like an experiment in how much silence you can get away with before the audience checks their phones. 👻
