The Box by Richard Kelly - 2009
The box takes you back to the era of watching classic horror/ thriller movies. In spite of its 2009 release tag, Richard Kelly’s The Box is set during the period of 1976 at Virginia. It is a film which has lots of substance in it and has the capability to make the audiences think.
The Box starts with the story of a happy family of Norma & Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) and their young boy Walter. Everything is perfect for them until they receive a mysterious box at their doorsteps. The box is supposed to bring fortune to them. The owner of the box tells the couple that if they press the trigger on the box within a day, then they will win a million dollar, but as a result of it someone somewhere will die. Ignoring the warning, Norma presses the trigger. They win a million dollar but soon their lives become entangled with misfortune which leads to several bizarre events.
This horror movie gives you a feel of classic movies. The story is kind of slow, occasionally scary and becomes more complicated towards the climax. It is quite fascinating at the beginning, but somehow it looses tracks towards the end. Or may be I need to watch it once more to understand The Box completely. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden have given brilliant performances. Diaz has given one of her best performances in The Box. This is quite a refreshing change in the style of performance of Cameron Diaz. The anxiety, fear and tension are well portrayed in the character. The set is awesomely 70’s - the costumes, hairstyles, interiors, cars etc. are constantly making you feel as if you are watching a classic horror. In very limited parts, I found some resemblances with The Shinning too. Richard Kelly’s direction in The Box is very sharp and has used various emotions of human minds in this movie. To experience a classic thriller/ horror with a semi-psychedelic effect, one must go for The Box. If you like classic stuff, then you should not miss this horror movie.
Watch the trailer of The Box
My Rating - 7/10
Learn More About the Movie on IMDB

