Whenever asked to define what the horror genre is to me, I always refer to the works of Edgar Allen Poe, particularly his story the Sphinx. This is a story about a man who is stressed as everyone around him is dying of cholera. He retreats to a country home. There, while sitting at a window, he sees a huge monster running towards his cabin. He is stressed out of his mind, convinced this is a sign of his own imminent death. In the end it was merely a spider that was dangling a couple of inches in front of his eyes. His stressed mind created the monster, feeding his feeling of loss of control over the situation around him.…

Ingeniously balancing beauty & horror from start to finish, Black Swan is a harrowing depiction of a passion turning into an obsession which ultimately sets in motion a chain of events that results in complete self-destruction. Apart from being one of the best offerings of its year, this psychosexual thriller is also Darren Aronofsky's finest work since his 2000 manic Requiem for a Dream.

The story concerns Nina Seyers; a highly skilled ballet dancer who is chosen as the ballerina for her ballet company's next play 'Swan Lake'. Perfect in the role of the delicate & innocent White Swan character, Nina fails to convincingly pull off the personality that is required for the sly & sensual Black Swan. And in her desperate attempt…

87/100

My first time rewatching this since seeing it in theaters. It was just as wild this time around and I think I enjoyed it even more knowing the craziness that unfolds throughout.

Darren Aronofsky delivers a nightmarish like story that is as spine tingling as it is magnificent. A deep dive into someone so fragile pushing themselves to reach perfection while slowly mentally collapsing. Natalie Portman, who took home an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, is outright FANTASTIC as Nina Sayers. Portman loses herself in the role of Nina, displaying such beautiful innocence, while fighting with her sanity as she works effortlessly to channel her "black swan" as the lead in 'Swan Lake'.…