Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Samuel Salomon, a literature professor, has been off work for almost a year after the tragic death of his girlfriend. Samuel has been suffering from a recurring nightmare in which a woman is brutally murdered in a strange ritual. Suddenly, the same woman who appears every night in his dreams is found dead in exactly the same circumstances. Samuel sneaks into the crime scene and there he meets Rachel who has also dreamed about the murder. Together, they will do whatever they can to discover the identity of the mystery woman, entering a terrifying world controlled by the figures who have inspired artists throughout time: the Muses.
Muse is a modestly ambitious Spanish supernatural thriller that blends mythology and horror around the concept of ancient muses inspiring — and destroying — artists. The mythology-driven premise is reasonably distinctive and gives it some Novelty above the generic horror baseline, and the cinematography has enough stylish atmosphere to stand out. However, the plot execution is clunky, with logic gaps and underdeveloped characters undermining the intriguing setup. The acting is serviceable but unremarkable, and the ending fails to deliver on the film's supernatural promise, feeling rushed and unsatisfying. Overall it sits slightly below average in most execution categories despite an interesting conceptual hook.