If you're a fan of the horror genre, like me, the premise of this movie will not impress you. You've seen a lot of it before in movies like Babadook (family psychology myths), The Conjuring (retro clothing and things going bump in the night), Insidious (boy targeted by spirit trying to come through from another dimension), and there are even echoes of Sixth Sense (hiding under blankets, walking around a house at night). So no, this premise is not original. But that doesn't mean you won't like it. I love a good genre flick done well, and I felt like this one did some shining (pun) and some stumbling. Overall, it wasn't a waste of money and I would recommend it, depending on your taste.
DO WATCH IT if you enjoy:
1. Horror with a deeper underlying meaning
2. Family-centric plots
3. Worlds where humans turn out to be mostly good people
4. Jump scares
5. Slow burn moody movies
6. An ending that actually ends and doesn't unnecessarily set up a sequel, just in case the film does well and the studio wants to cash in (sorry, rant over)
7. Believable acting (mostly)
However, DON'T watch it if any of the following grates on you:
1. Lights always flicker when monster is near
2. Parent, although terrified for child, constantly leaves child alone in rooms, outdoors, etc so they are conveniently vulnerable
3. Vague family drama where parents can't stay together for some unexplained reason
4. Always walking toward the dark closet/corner where you think a terrifying monster might be instead of running
5. Standing and staring where monster is instead of running
6. Phones don't work right when monster is near
7. No clear rules on how monster appears, what it can affect or how it goes away, but still it goes away...maybe
SPOILER ALERT
When a struggling, well intentioned, couple with an autistic child find themselves stressed out over family life, they decide to take some time apart. Meanwhile their sun, Oliver, is unable to speak yet due to his disability and is having trouble making friends. Enter bullies, but not like you'd think. There's no hardcore bullying here, and the bully aspect is half-hearted at best. In any case, Oliver is lonely. But he's not the only one.
Sarah, his mom, is also lonely; frustrated that she's bearing the brunt of raising Oliver and trying to determine what's best for him while her husband Marty is at work. Marty isn't a typical absentee father-he cares for Oliver and wants to help, but doesn't understand the strain Sarah is under.
But there is another character in the family: a malicious being trapped in cell phones and iPads, reaching out with an offer of friendship to Oliver. It's a horrifying slenderman of a creature that no child in their right mind would EVER intentionally go toward, except Oliver...oh and Byron, Oliver's schoolmate and bully-turned-friend. For some inexplicable reason Oliver constantly goes toward the dark closets and creepy hallways this monster menaces. Oh, and the monster's name is Larry.
At this point, The Babadook should be coming to mind, and it certainly is reminiscent of that movie in many ways. The overall vibe is a weird mashup of 70's meets 2020 as bowl haircuts and vintage clothing and furniture are featured throughout, while idevices constantly remind us we aren't in the area the movie says we are. I liked the vibe, actually. It was like a horror remix of familiar elements in odd juxtapositions.
The leads were more than passable, with Azhy Robertson doing a fine job of being autistic, which is not an easy role to nail.
The horror cliches were there, front and center, but the real pit in the cherry for me was the plot holes surrounding the monster myth.
He seems to drain electricity, so whenever he's near the lights flicker and eventually pop (why, horror movies? Why must lights ALWAYS flicker?), however reading his story also seems to give him power, so that half the time I can't tell if he runs off of electricity or literary curiosity. Initially he is able to flicker lights and make noise without his story even being read, later we are made to believe he can only come through to our world when his story is finished, but that's just not the way it happens. He is able to move large, heavy objects, break things, open things, chase people, and move freely about the world. He can pick up Oliver, he has mass, he can screw in light bulbs for God's sake, but just chooses to do random stupid stuff instead of what he's there for. Initially, you have to turn the pages of his book and willingly read the story, but by the end he is forcefully turning the pages so they see the story even though they don't want to. He should have been able to end this movie in the first five minutes. All he needed was to turn enough pages to get to the end, which he can obviously do. Also, he's capable of trailing, attacking and wrecking Marty, for no apparent reason, while Oliver is the one he wants and in a completely different location.
This family ping pongs from "devices are dangerous" to "devices are the only way to see the problem" then back to "break all the devices" and still they don't seem to affect the creature in any predictable way. He emerges from dead (unplugged) devices to attack them in the real world, and is seen moving INSANELY fast in several scenes, only to lumber around aimless when the plot calls for it. The monster and rules regarding the monster are so inexplicable that they, at times, broke my ability to really enjoy the beauty of this story.
Because the story is good. It's often told well. The acting is enjoyable, but not award-winning. The character development is lacking, but still better than a lot of horror. The jump scares are...well, what you'd expect.
Why watch it? Because it's a decent entry into the genre. Not original, not ground-breaking, but it's not horrible. It's got scary moments and heart-warming moments, and most of the characters are likable.
Overall, watchable.
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