Director: Zach Cregger
Cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Amy Madigan
Have I Seen It Before: Nope. Brand new.
Did I Like It: There are long stretches where this film really reaches—and actually grabs—something special. Most of that happens in the film’s middle. That’s kind of a surprise all by itself, as most movies, and especially horror films get water-logged and flabby in their second act. Overlapping the stories of the various main characters keeps the attention far higher than average, and fully develops those characters. All have their flaws, but most of them* are innocent at their core. I’ll be stuck with the memory of their motivations and behavior all careening towards each other.
If that solid plot and character work had been coupled with an array of some of the more basic horror movie cliche you’re likely to find in a major release this year. Strange looking villain who’s strange looking for the sake of strange looking? Check. Jump scares a-go-go? Check. The camera pans across a character looking at something, landing on an open hallways and WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? Check. Dream sequences within dream sequences that are just a vehicle for the aforementioned jump scares**? You better believe, check.
The film could have truly been great in a year filled with great horror movies, but I’m left with the frustration of a average-to-good film that couldn’t quite get out of its own way.
*Everyone but Paul (Ehrenreich), the opportunistically tee-totaling cop.
**When they aren’t offering one of the more over-the-top images I’ve seen in a film in a long time. One that doesn’t even feel thematically right, even if it does go a long way to offering a sweatier than it needs to be reason for the title being what it is.