Director: Scott Derrickson
Year: 2022
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
After being abducted by a savage killer, a teen from a small town who finds himself trapped in the killer’s basement lair is forced to rely on the psychic powers of his sister as well as the ghostly residents of the lair, who were the killer’s previous victims determined not to let him suffer as they did, to get away alive.
Review:
This was a rather impressive and enjoyable effort with a lot to like about it. One of the main aspects on display is a fantastic setup in place that has the group of kids being given a strong and emotionally touching bond that sets everything in motion. The brother/sister bond that we see at the heart of the film, with her attempting to save him from the various bullies that try to interfere with their lives, and dealing with their troubled home life, makes for a stand-out starting point. Gradually revealing that she’s able to psychically see what’s going through various dreams and visions that connect their exploits once he’s been kidnapped, this gives the film a chance to connect together with the idea of her being reluctant to share anything with the skeptical dad due to their troubled home and sets the middle of this one up quite nicely as they search for the son.
On top of that, there’s also quite a lot to like here with the series of escape attempts that take place once he’s been captured and held in the basement. Essentially trapped with the concrete enclosure and soundproof structure set up, the means through which he’s able to survive everything by taking phone calls from the ghosts of others who have been trapped and killed there before adds a fantastic twist to everything that’s wrapped together quite nicely with the flashbacks that bring all the ghosts together into the main story. Given the nature of the phone calls and how the information revealed during these times is helpful in theory rather than execution, since the ghosts talk in rhymes or act sarcastically while dealing with their responses, you’re never truly sure if they’re being helpful in their quest to help him, so it really fuels the fire quite nicely. With a fantastic, emotionally charged finale that mixes brutality with some heartwarming touches to tie it all together, these make for a generally great time here.
There isn’t much, but this one does have a couple of flaws to it. One of the few issues with it is the film’s dearth of details on the exploits of the main serial killer, who’s a near mystery in terms of his on-screen presence. Very little here is given about his motivations or previous rampage quests, which is all left to inference, much the same way the behavior exhibited here is carried out. While it’s important not to reveal much about him as all that’s given is just a name, the fact that there’s nothing for who he is or what the rampage about feels somewhat underwhelming, like it’s a missed opportunity. As well, with the film’s focus on children being the target of the killer’s wrath and holding them hostage for the duration of the running length, there’s no real stalking or chasing here that provides genre thrills, which can cause parts of this to be somewhat dry, but it’s overall not that big of an issue.
Overview: ****.5/5
One of the finest efforts in this style, there’s very little wrong here that holds it back, as there are quite a lot of effective elements that manage to hold the film up for the most part. Those who appreciate this kind of genre element or are fans of the creative crew will have the most to like here, while only those wanting a more straightforward slasher effort should heed caution with this one.
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