Hotel Poseidon is a 2021 Belgian surreal horror film about a deeply troubled man who has inherited the titular place from his dead father.
Written and directed by Stefan Lernous [as Stef Lernous]. Produced by Peter De Maegd, Tom Hameeuw and Nick Kaldunski.
The Abattoir Fermé-Potemkino Port co-production stars Tom Vermeir, Ruth Becquart , Anneke Sluiters, Tania Van der Sanden and Dominique Van Malder.
Plot:
A day in the life of reluctant hotel owner Dave – a man troubled by nightmares, his neighbour, his friends and love. Dave’s existence is hopeless. His days and nights blend into each other as he wanders vacantly through the halls of the abandoned and dilapidated Hotel Poseidon, which he inherited from his deceased father.
When a young woman knocks on the hotel’s door looking for a room, while Dave’s best friend wants to throw a party in the backroom, and a recurring dream haunts him, a surreal and grisly ordeal is set in motion…
PR blurb:
“Imagine David Lynch filming at the Overlook from The Shining, with interior decoration akin to the Hotel Earle from Barton Fink, and you’ve got Hotel Poseidon – a seriously run-down, and extremely strange place where nightmares and reality collide. The last thing you’ll have is a relaxing stay – but it’ll certainly be a memorable one…
An unconventional story, bordering on the surreal and at times the fantastic, the film eschews conventional narrative rules in favour of the enigmatic internal logic of a nightmare. As curious characters occupy the rooms and corridors of the hotel, we find ourselves in a dream-like universe infused with grotesque surrealism: a style imprinted on the Belgian artistic DNA. ”
Reviews:
“The humor won’t be for everyone (I laughed twice with most jokes earning an eye-roll instead) and the set will turn off even more before they have a chance to embrace it as a Venus flytrap of danger, excitement, and unpredictability leading them to captivating returns. Those who stick with it, though, will understand it’s all a testament to Dave’s psyche.” The Film Stage
“You never quite manage to find your balance with this film, but it is a wild ride that should be enjoyed for what it is. Hotel Poseidon will leave you feeling uncomfortable and confused, so I get that it’s not for everyone. Many may be put off by its surreal artistic nature however I really enjoyed this, coming away feeling like it was a real sensory experience.” Love Horror
“Hotel Poseidon seems to be a film that is aiming for a metaphorical representation of the downfall of humanity but doesn’t have any story to back that up […] It doesn’t help that the cast over-exaggerate as if trying to match the grotesque imagery that surrounds them with equally over-the-top performances…” Nerdly
“Lernous has crafted a dizzyingly uneasy chamber piece whose dilapidated, disgusting sets the viewer can almost smell, all to the accompaniment of the shrieking, unnerving glissandi in Kreng’s score. By the end of this psychodrama, you may be left not entirely sure what you have just seen, but certainly disoriented and rattled by it…” Projected Figures
“To say that there’s something unsettling about Hotel Poseidon would be a remarkable understatement. In fact, everything about Hotel Poseidon is unsettling, and by design — by immaculate, impeccable, excruciatingly unpleasant design. For a film that has truly not a single element of what most would consider cinematic horror, Hotel Poseidon is one of the most skin-crawling experiences of the year.” Screen Anarchy
“It’s lazy – and disingenuous – to liken Hotel Poseidon to David Lynch’s Eraserhead, largely because you can conjure some understanding from that film. What we have here is mostly weird for weird’s sake, and unfortunately, it doesn’t provoke the desire to check into the hotel again any time soon to attempt to try to figure it out more.” Starburst
” …this is a film which looks and sounds great, but personally there isn’t quite enough substance here to sustain interest across the film’s running time. Your enjoyment of Hotel Poseidon will depend entirely on how willing you are to balance this kind of existential viewing experience against more conventional on-screen components, such as plot.” Warped Perspective
MOVIES & MANIA rating:
Release:
Hotel Poseidon has its international première at Fantasia 2021 and was also shown at FrightFest in London in August 2021.
Hotel Poseidon will be available for streaming on the Arrow streaming platform on January 3rd 2022.
Arrow’s exclusive presentation of Hotel Poseidon will include a Q&A between Cub director Jonas Govaerts and Hotel Poseidon writer/director Stefan Lernous; an audio commentary by Lernous; Deleted scene, one-take party scene and the rehearsal footage of that scene; Fantasia Q&A with Lernous and Justine Smith; a special Intro for the Arrow release of the film.
Cast and characters (in credits order):
Tom Vermeir … Dave
Ruth Becquart … Erika
Anneke Sluiters … Nora
Tania Van der Sanden … Dave’s mother
Dominique Van Malder … Jacki
Chiel Van Berkel … De Sjarel
Tine Van den Wyngaert … Amy
Steve Geerts … Tuur
Gene Bervoets … Dave’s father
Tessa Friedrich … Roodharige vrouw Two
Anne-Laure Vandeputte … Roodharige vrouw Three
Julia Ghysels … Lyzette
Darya Gantura … Entourage Lyzette
Anke Somers … Entourage Lyzette
Kirsten Pieters … Madam achter de toog
Dirk Lavryssen … Tante Lucy
Mark Verstraete … Groene man
Technical details:
90 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1
Trailer 1:
Trailer 2:
‘Meow’ clip:
‘Hotel Hell’ clip:
