_Z_ is yet another in a long tradition of horror films in which the principal character, usually a woman in a domestic role, is gaslight endlessly. Her witnessing of supernatural happenings becomes conflated with the normal misogyny with which women’s testimony is treated.

If you can stomach the film’s supremely ideological nature and lack of self-awareness regarding some truly out of date horror tropes, there are things horror enthusiasts might appreciate.

This is clearly a film intended for the big screen with accompanying production values, generally a net positive for horror films which can make up for their artistic shortcomings with creative scares, atmosphere, and raw terror.

To that point, Z is a terrifying antagonist, and the film makes neither the mistake of showing him too often or inconsistency in his depiction. He is always a truly nightmarish figure.

[spoiler]Returning to the film's misogyny, it ultimately comes to subvert some of the more obvious tropes, though not in the most self-aware fashion but enough that the film is interesting. Despite the potential points of interest, the implication of the ending on a first pass is quite troubling. Think _Lights Out_ (2016). [/spoiler]

This movie is not without its merits, but I came away from it with a range of substantive critiques.