After teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her new boyfriend, Hugh (Jake Weary), for the first time, she learns that she is the latest to receive a fatal curse that is passed along from person to person by sexual intercourse. A creature that only she can see now will slowly creep towards her while taking the form of either a friend or a stranger. Jay’s friends Yara and Paul (Olivia Luccardi and Keir Gilchrist) and her sister Kelly (Lili Sepe) don’t believe her at first until they also begin to see this creature and all of its forms for themselves they decide to band together to either help Jay flee or to defend herself.
The first time I saw this is in the theater, there were a few issues. I unfortunately had to sit behind some of the most annoying people I have ever had to deal with sitting behind me and the sound system of the theater may have not been functioning properly. I still enjoyed it then and with no distractions, I enjoyed it even more the second time. I’ve seen my fair share of horror films and this film has to have one of the most original stories I’ve seen. I also like that it chooses to be more of a psychological type of horror movie with the scares coming mostly from the suspense of whether or not something happens to the main characters. Without giving anything away, I’ll say things do happen. I personally found it suspenseful as it kept me on the edge of my seat not knowing when or from where the creature would come and also what it would look like. I enjoyed this feeling and that it something I like to feel when I’m watching this type of film. I was also a big fan of the film’s style as I thought it looked campy and like a 70’s/80’s type horror film especially with the keyboard/synthesizer soundtrack playing in the background throughout. It’s amazing (or maybe not) that every time there was a suspenseful part, the keyboard/synthesizer would be blaring. It shouldn’t but it got me every single time. The cinematography was also a nice touch as it captures the desolation of Detroit beautifully. The only thing that I wasn’t sure about was the acting, I’m not sure whether or not its good or bad. I couldn’t really tell. Maybe it was intentionally bad because of what the film was trying to be based on the reasons I previously mentioned. I had no problem with any of it. They’re teenagers, they’re not supposed to be smart, they make bad decisions and that will be evident to anyone watching. I liked this because it made them more real. The story is original, don’t get me wrong but I would have liked it if they explored the creature’s origin a little more. Also some may not like the ending, but I wasn’t one of them. Overall, this is a great film that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout thanks to it’s story and style.
Score: 9/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.