Do Not Enter Review (2024)

Jan 8, 2025

A strong start and set up to Do Not Enter cannot save it as while it has a few decent scenes, the film becomes quite messy.

Synopsis

Aldo and Cristian, two brothers, dream of becoming famous on YouTube, and during a livestream, they stumble upon an abandoned mansion, and their viewer count skyrockets.

Encouraged by the excitement, they decide to break into the house at night, and once inside, they quickly realize something evil and supernatural lurks within.

My Thoughts

Do Not Enter (Also known as No Entres), directed by Hugo Cardozo, attempts to bring some unique flair to the genre but ultimately the film struggles to maintain consistency, and has some strong familiarity with Deadstream as well, a bit too strong, I think.

Aldo and Cristian, played by Lucas Caballero and Pablo Martinez, are somewhat relatable protagonists and their playful banter and shared ambition make them sympathetic characters, even when their decisions defy logic.

From the beginning, the film attempts to establish a strong sense of tension, and the mansion setting itself works quite well.

While Cardozo succeeds in creating the tension at first, and uses some clever camera angles with a few standout moments, unfortunately, as the story progresses, the film falters a bit under the weight of its ambitions.

It tries to juggle too many horror sub genres without really fully committing to any of them, which makes the film feel feel scattered and non cohesive.

Found footage horror thrives on its immersion quality, but that immersion is broken a lot when watching, and while mixing found-footage with other horror elements can certainly work, Do Not Enter feels like it’s trying to do a bit too much.

Despite its flaws though, the movie does have its moments as mentioned.

Cardozo demonstrates a knack for building suspense, and there are a couple of scenes that are done really well, but the reliance on familiar tropes and a lack of narrative cohesion really spoils it.

It does have a strong start, with a few really good scenes, but it just doesn’t really deliver on its promise, and while the film’s ambition is commendable, the execution leaves something to be desired, but it’s enjoyable in small parts.

Cardozo does show some potential as a director however, and it will be interesting to see how he develops his craft in future projects.

Good Points

Some Good Scares: Obviously, being ‘scared’ in a film is very subjective and personal, but the film does deliver some half decent attempts that I think a lot will like.

Atmosphere and Tension: I did like the tension and atmosphere and the mansion was a good setting.

Bad Points

Cohesion: The film tries to do a bit too much and this doesn’t help with the cohesion, immersion and pacing when watching.

Clichéd Tropes: While the setup feels fresh, too much relies on familiar and predictable genre clichés.

Unexplored Potential: The film had a lot of potential, especially after the strong start, but this is never really fully delivered on.

Is It Worth Watching?

Despite some flaws, if you’re a found footage fan, I would recommend you check Do Not Enter out, as it does a few things to like, but I wouldn’t say it is good.

Do Not Enter On IMDB
Do Not Enter Trailer