The Last Thing Mary Saw Review: 1840s Horror Is Too Muddled & Contrived
Period pieces entrenched in horror, especially the kind that delve into religious condemnations turned awry like The Witch and Apostle, are usually difficult to capture in terms of atmosphere and complexity. Edoardo Vitaletti’s The Last Thing Mary Saw earnestly attempts at the same, but is ultimately bogged down by narrative execution that feels lackluster, soulless, and contrived. The Last Thing Mary Saw could've been a gripping queer horror about religious oppression, but is sadly limited by its humdrum and unconvincing plot.
Set at a strict Calvinist household in 1843, The Last Thing Mary Saw opens with a pretty straightforward premise, in which a blindfolded Mary (Stefanie Scott), with blood dripping from her bandaged eyes, recounts the core narrative to the town constable. A terrible crime has taken place, the details of which the viewers are not privy to in the beginning, but the all-male town jury is terrified of Mary for some reason, believing her to be the devil incarnate. Recounting the horrors that befall her family, Mary explains how she was involved in a then “forbidden” relationship with her housemaid Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman), much to the chagrin of her God-fearing family, who view the bond as sinful and blasphemous.
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Although Vitaletti aims to make a strong case against shameful homophobia and cruelty fueled by religious beliefs, the culmination is a dull, superficial portrait of these complex issues, treated without much thought or nuance. An eerie aura surrounds the setting of Southold, New York of the time period, drenched perpetually in candlelight, folk superstitions, and bared-down aesthetics, with the rest of Mary’s
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