When The Pale Blue Eye hit Netflix last year, it kind of flopped and left critics feeling rather meh.
But that didn't deter film buffs from giving the gothic horror a watch, and they seem to be loving it. Check it out:
The star-studded mystery/thriller stars Christian Bale as ex-detective Augustus Landor, who's enlisted by West Point Military Academy in 1830 to investigate a gruesome murder.
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There he meets young cadet and poet, Edgar Allan Poe, whom he enlists to help him unravel the case.
Poe is played by Harry Melling, who is best known for his portrayal of Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter franchise.
The flick — which was adapted from Louis Bayard's novel of the same name — also stars Gillian Anderson, Timothy Spall and Lucy Boynton.
Now, while the famous American poet was never actually involved in solving crimes, he did spend six months at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, before being expelled for neglecting his duties to write poetry.
Upon its release, The Pale Blue Eye was met with an underwhelming response, scoring an unremarkable 63 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Ouch.
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One critic wrote that its 'fine cast and promising story [felt] under-serviced by the script and its execution.'
Another review read: "The inherent silliness of it all manages to overpower [the director's] quest for bleakness."
Meanwhile, a third said: "The mystery doesn’t provide a satisfying resolution despite the complex investigation that centres on the movie."
But film fans seem to have formed the opposite view, hailing the Netflix horror as a 'masterpiece' in glowing reviews left on Google.
One person said that The Pale Blue Eye will 'likely go down as one of 2023's most underrated and overlooked gems.'
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They also praised Melling's performance in the film. "It is incredibly difficult to steal scenes from the likes of Christian Bale, but Melling somehow manages to," they wrote.
Other reviews called it 'extremely investing' with a 'shocking finale that no one will see coming.'
Another person simply wrote: "THIS IS CINEMA."
A fourth encouraged other film fans to 'keep watching and disregard what is being said [by critics].'
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They say: "The movie has a solid plot, it is well explained and leaves no room for ambiguity at the conclusion."
So, it looks like this gothic horror might just be the perfect film to watch this Halloween.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: TV and Film, Netflix, Christian Bale