Sign In / Sign Up

Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadful
Release date: 2006-11-10
Rating: 5.467
Votes: 135
Genres: Horror, Thriller
Young Penny goes on a retreat with her psychologist; the intention is to help her overcome her phobia, an intense fear of cars. Unexpected events find her in a nightmarish situation where her worst fears come true.

Reviews

tmdb17996075

tmdb17996075

After reading and analyzing some negative reviews concerning this film, my wild guess is that "Penny Dreadful" turned out to be a disappointment to those who were looking forward to a movie that would desperately try to follow the "twists in the end" trend. It appears that many people are somehow disappointed by the fact that this film had an ending that wasn't complex or 'surprising' enough. In my case, however, as the film was coming to an end, I was hoping for a simple ending without an unnecessary twist. To my pleasant surprise, I got exactly what I wanted and the ending wasn't far-fetched and insulting like most horror films that are being released these days. In "Penny Dreadful", the story is about a young girl named Penny, who has a severe fear of cars, as a result of a traumatic accident. Willing to overcome her phobia, Penny goes on a road trip with Orianna, her psychologist, as a way of overcoming her fear. During an argument, Orianna accidentally hits a hitchhiker who was walking in the middle of the road and decides to stop to help him out. When she realizes that the traveler is actually in perfect conditions, Orianna decides to give him a ride as a modest way of apologizing. Unfortunately, the hitchhiker turns out to be a raging murderer who will turn the therapeutic experience into Hell on Earth. Given the circumstances, the thing that Penny fears the most, ends up becoming her only saving shelter from the psychopath who lurks outside. Like I stated before, one of the things that I praise the most about "Penny Dreadful", is the fact that there were several ways to turn the whole thing upside down towards the end and "shock" the audience with an ending that would make a villain out of the least expected character. "Penny Dreadful" is a very simple and yet compelling little film with an uncomplicated ending that despite of its simplicity, it still contains a small surprise that doesn't ruin the entire thing. I won't say it, of course... but there is one little surprise regarding the killer. I enjoyed this movie a lot, regardless of a few little things that I didn't quite get. For instance, I would have to point out the meaningless background story about a young folk having extramarital sex with a married woman and the old man who is aware of this act of adultery. It doesn't have any kind of connection to the story of Penny and Orianna. Perhaps the only reason why these three secondary characters appear, it's because otherwise, it would be ultimately uninteresting to see the hitchhiker and Penny throughout the entire film. Regarding the characters, I was glad to actually felt compelled to root for the good guys. These days, a lot of horror movies are released where the 'villains' are more empathetic, which leads to lack of interest for the main characters. Even though there were moments in which I felt like jumping into the screen and punch both Penny and Orianna for being so stupid, I felt empathy for the heroine of the story the whole time. I can't deny that she was a very irritating, but at the same time, I could empathize with her and I wanted her to survive, through a gruesome type of redemption. If you're in the mood for an enjoyable film that doesn't desperately try to shock the audience with a "wonderful twist", give "Penny Dreadful" a chance. But most of all....brace yourself, put on your seat-belt and don't forget your breathing exercises, because this is going to be one hell of a ride!

Movie Recommendation

  • The Glass House
    The Glass House
    2001-09-14
    When Ruby and Rhett's parents are killed in a car accident, their carefree teenage lives are suddenly shattered. Moving to an incredible house in Malibu with the Glasses', old friends of the family, seems to be the beginning of a new life for them.
    More...
  • Sabrina
    Sabrina
    2018-07-12
    A toy manufacturer and his wife are terrorized by a demon after their orphaned niece tries to call her late mother's spirit.
    More...
  • ABCs of Death 2
    ABCs of Death 2
    2014-10-02
    Taking all that was great from the first instalment, the movie aims to be a wilder, leaner, faster-paced and even more entertaining anthology this time around, with a new crop of award-winning, visionary filmmakers from around the globe.
    More...
  • The Special
    The Special
    2020-01-31
    Suspecting his wife of infidelity, Jerry is persuaded by his best friend to accompany him to a brothel to sample ‘The Special’, which proves to be a lifechanging experience in more ways than one. Because every pleasure has its price...
    More...
  • Alone
    Alone
    2020-09-10
    A recently widowed traveler is kidnapped by a cold blooded killer, only to escape into the wilderness where she is forced to battle against the elements as her pursuer closes in on her.
    More...
  • Haunt
    Haunt
    2019-09-13
    On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an extreme haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realisation that some nightmares are real.
    More...
  • The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die
    The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die
    2023-04-14
    In the wake of King Edward's death, Uhtred of Bebbanburg and his comrades adventure across a fractured kingdom in the hopes of uniting England at last.
    More...
  • Scream
    Scream
    1996-12-20
    A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
    More...
  • A Bug's Life
    A Bug's Life
    1998-11-25
    On behalf of "oppressed bugs everywhere," an inventive ant named Flik hires a troupe of warrior bugs to defend his bustling colony from a horde of freeloading grasshoppers led by the evil-minded Hopper.
    More...
  • Top Gun: Maverick
    Top Gun: Maverick
    2022-05-21
    After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell finds himself training a detachment of TOP GUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen.
    More...
  • Avatar
    Avatar
    2009-12-15
    In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.
    More...
  • Titanic
    Titanic
    1997-11-18
    101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson and Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets aboard the ship. Rose tells the whole story from Titanic's departure through to its death—on its first and last voyage—on April 15, 1912.
    More...
  • Joker
    Joker
    2019-10-01
    During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
    More...
  • Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
    Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
    2020-02-05
    Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.
    More...
  • Us
    Us
    2019-03-14
    Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.
    More...
  • Dune
    Dune
    2021-09-15
    Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
    More...
  • Green Book
    Green Book
    2018-11-16
    Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called The Negro Motorist Green Book.
    More...
  • Avengers: Endgame
    Avengers: Endgame
    2019-04-24
    After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.
    More...
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home
    Spider-Man: No Way Home
    2021-12-15
    Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
    More...
  • The Northman
    The Northman
    2022-04-07
    Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy's mother. Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who's on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.
    More...

Similar Movies