IMDb RATING
5.4/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
A reclusive and butterfly-obsessed elderly lady suffering from bipolar disorder develops a disturbing relationship with a mysterious but seemingly innocent youngster.A reclusive and butterfly-obsessed elderly lady suffering from bipolar disorder develops a disturbing relationship with a mysterious but seemingly innocent youngster.A reclusive and butterfly-obsessed elderly lady suffering from bipolar disorder develops a disturbing relationship with a mysterious but seemingly innocent youngster.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 1 nomination total
Elea Oberon
- Monika
- (as Emma Bering)
Featured reviews
I had no idea what to expect with this movie. An insane and homicidal woman pays a teenaged girl so she can pretend she is her mother. Well, I'll give it credit for a storyline I've never seen before. The cast really shines well here, by the way. I can't say I'm a good judge of acting, but I can say that I was held captive by the principal actors performance. The movie lost a few marks at the end though. Mostly for some character actions and sequences that didn't exactly make sense, but overall it was still an enjoyable movie.
A strange lady keeps butterflies mounted in a special room. She has an unhealthy interest in the children around her and is a Karen to the nth degree. She manages to get her hands on the little girls, except one little girl seems to have her hands on the butterfly lady. This is an ok story in an ok movie.
😱 First Impressions:
From the synopsis I thought it'd play out from the victim's perspective when she befriends the old lady for the first time. I was genuinely surprised that Ann instead was the main star.
Pros: 😋 Actress who plays Ann is very brilliant- she immediately exudes all the characteristics that make her character to be 'off' the moment we see her. It does not wear off until the credits roll...
😋 The story is well written and I could feel immense sympathy for the main character / antagonist. Who is mentally unstable yet emotionally (and financially) manipulated by the girls that ironically she eventually preys on.
😋 There are some very unusual kills in the movie. A constant air of creepiness and threat that never unsettles because you know never know what might happen next.
Cons: 😪 I had some reservations about the way the movie jumps back and forth between the past and present. Sometimes it does so without indication (which is great) but others it blatantlys uses a 'rewind' effect which just spells it out for the audience.
😪 The plot while quite original- I could actually see coming; a whole hour away when it came to the fate of the first girl. Yes, it's still shocking when it is eventually revealed but I thought it could have been handled better.
😪 The child actors and actresses sometime just ruin the scenes. That's not to say they don't shine either! They have their moments especially the actress who plays Alice who is probably the oldest among the children so it's understandable. Nothing too distracting though~
😇Verdict😈 I thoroughly enjoyed the unnerving and at the same time melancholic story of Ann. The pride and effort she takes in maintaining her collection is frightening. The only issue I had were some qualms about the direction and creative decisions. Overall, a solid thriller with a memorably developed antagonist who just for all we know needed some therapy and pills. It's so sad.
Pros: 😋 Actress who plays Ann is very brilliant- she immediately exudes all the characteristics that make her character to be 'off' the moment we see her. It does not wear off until the credits roll...
😋 The story is well written and I could feel immense sympathy for the main character / antagonist. Who is mentally unstable yet emotionally (and financially) manipulated by the girls that ironically she eventually preys on.
😋 There are some very unusual kills in the movie. A constant air of creepiness and threat that never unsettles because you know never know what might happen next.
Cons: 😪 I had some reservations about the way the movie jumps back and forth between the past and present. Sometimes it does so without indication (which is great) but others it blatantlys uses a 'rewind' effect which just spells it out for the audience.
😪 The plot while quite original- I could actually see coming; a whole hour away when it came to the fate of the first girl. Yes, it's still shocking when it is eventually revealed but I thought it could have been handled better.
😪 The child actors and actresses sometime just ruin the scenes. That's not to say they don't shine either! They have their moments especially the actress who plays Alice who is probably the oldest among the children so it's understandable. Nothing too distracting though~
😇Verdict😈 I thoroughly enjoyed the unnerving and at the same time melancholic story of Ann. The pride and effort she takes in maintaining her collection is frightening. The only issue I had were some qualms about the direction and creative decisions. Overall, a solid thriller with a memorably developed antagonist who just for all we know needed some therapy and pills. It's so sad.
The Butterfly Room: Ann, a nasty anti-social who has an obsession with pinning butterflies decides to move on to larger prey. A line of dark humour runs through the film leavening the worse moments as she sprays people with acid and kicks ladders from under them. But there are still quite a few disturbing scenes and this is not a film for the squeamish. Various people who cross her come to a gruesome end. Confusing at times as there are flashbacks within flashbacks but the disjointed timeline adds to the tension. Barbara Steele is great as the irritable Ann with Julia Putnam as Alice a grifter schoolgirl. A couple of interesting plot twists will make you reconsider parts of the jumbled narrative. Directed and Co-Written by Jonathan Zarantonello, based on Zarantonello's short filml Alice dalle 4 alle 5 (Alice from 4 to 5). 7/10.
Showing again on Friday 8th April at 10.50 PM on the Horror Channel.
Showing again on Friday 8th April at 10.50 PM on the Horror Channel.
I'm thrilled that I just happened upon this brilliant gem of a horror/thriller! Scrolling through YouTube looking for what new horror films would be coming out this year, and I just happened upon this movie's trailer. Being a very much hard core horror/thriller movie fan I was shocked that this movie's title has never crossed my path until today!
Along with it being a very real piece of actual entertainment(which sadly these days is very hard to come by), it also had such an array of horror movie icons that made appearances throughout. Some of them being, Erica Leerhsen(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Heather Langenkamp(Nightmare on Elm Street), Adrienne King(Friday the 13th), Camille Keaton (I Spit on your Grave), PJ Soles(Halloween)...and I must quote one of the other reviewers opinion in my saying that I wholeheartedly agree that you just won't find a better psychotic & violent portrayal by a women that, can you believe, is seventy-five years old, in my speaking of the great Barbara Steele.
Seriously wish that this little gem of a horror would have received more recognition, as it so deserved. I just wish I'd known of it long before now!
Along with it being a very real piece of actual entertainment(which sadly these days is very hard to come by), it also had such an array of horror movie icons that made appearances throughout. Some of them being, Erica Leerhsen(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Heather Langenkamp(Nightmare on Elm Street), Adrienne King(Friday the 13th), Camille Keaton (I Spit on your Grave), PJ Soles(Halloween)...and I must quote one of the other reviewers opinion in my saying that I wholeheartedly agree that you just won't find a better psychotic & violent portrayal by a women that, can you believe, is seventy-five years old, in my speaking of the great Barbara Steele.
Seriously wish that this little gem of a horror would have received more recognition, as it so deserved. I just wish I'd known of it long before now!
Did you know
- TriviaFeatures a bevy of horror film veterans: Barbara Steele (Silent Scream); Ray Wise (Jeepers Creepers II); Erica Leehrsen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Wrong Turn 2; Blair Witch 2); Heather Langenkamp (Elm Streets); James Karen (Return of the Living Dead 1 and 2); Adrienne King (Friday The 13th 1 and 2); and PJ Soles (Halloween; Carrie).
- ConnectionsReferences The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
- How long is The Butterfly Room?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,081
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,081
- Apr 13, 2014
- Gross worldwide
- $1,081
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