It’s an odd world when you can’t be sure you’re going to get the crap scared out of you. But that seems to be the story with the Austrian cult-horror film Goodnight, Mommy released on December 1.

Critics fell in love with this moody, bizarre story back on the film festival circuit; buzz about it built again during its limited release in theaters in September.  But now that it’s out and about, there are almost a many who say it’s slow, self-indulgent torture-porn and there are fans of its unsettling imagery and unexpected twists.

The story turns a whole host of twenty-first century creep-tropes: plastic surgery, the eerie connection of twins, the nightmare of body-switching or the impersonation of loved ones (if you’ve haven’t seen Advantageous on Netflix, or The Visit, available on Amazon Watch Instantly). Twin boys — creepy enough in their own right — must confront the return of their ‘missing’ mother when she comes home after extensive facial surgery, swathed in bandages and entirely unrecognizable. She’s not acting like herself. She’s not herself. And they become convinced they must test her, force her to reveal herself…

The trailer promises a film that you won’t easily forget; half the people who plopped down money to see it agree. But the other half say things like, “Watching these two brats who have nothing interesting, witty or humorous to say, soon becomes tedious,” or label the whole thing as “predictable and bland.” And getting a lot of straight talk is difficult, since apparently it relies heavily on a twist ending to make the whole thing work.

This may be one of those times when you really do have to see it for yourself…or just enjoy this trailer for what it is, and live with the indelible memory of the cruncn, crunch, crunch. Enjoy…