Shook – A Film That Is Likely To Do The Opposite (Early Review)

For the less “hip” people out there, the word “Shook” is slang which some people use to describe the feeling of being shocked or surprised. Shook sees Mia (Daisye Tutor), a social media influencer, becomes the target of a killer who has a weird fetish for killing dogs. As the film dove further into Mia’s life, the darker things become and what looks like a stupid online prank turns into something more sinister. As a result, Mia is understandably shook.

Mia seems to have it all which of course, she really doesn’t. Anything can be faked, including popularity and wealth. Through Mia’s “in real life” friends, her life and its everyday issues becomes clearer. It’s evident early on that Mia’s life lacks stability, and her so-called “friends” are using her for her celebrity status. The most important relationships in her life are about as broken as one can get. During a visit to her family home, Mia becomes the target of a psycho who terrorises her via social media. But that ends up being the last of her worries. The same dog-killing psycho targeted Mia through her friends, forcing her to participate in a sick and twisted game where she must answer a series of questions correctly to stop her friends from being murdered.

While it seems that writer/director Jennifer Harrington is most likely a big fan of the Scream franchise based on some elements here, we’re not making any other connection between these two films. Shook starts with some real promise but seems to lose its way as the narrative becomes a little blurred. The real question is if the film is Mia’s story or was it the killer’s? Because the character of Mia is so one-dimensional, it’s difficult to feel bad for her or connect with her on a deeper emotional level, even when she appears to be scared out of her wits.  It’s just not believable, and at this point, the killer is a far more interesting character. It also doesn’t help that she makes countless questionable decisions at inopportune times. Social media was just so much more important it appeared.

And speaking of social media, the use of social media as a tool to tell a story isn’t new. Spree is a recent film that comes to mind that handled similar themes but was a far superior film. But where that film was incredibly entertaining, Shook falters in a big way. However, the few horror elements here are solid, and this is one part of the film that excels. Using a person’s pet as bait to lure the victim’s in is an interesting and unique concept, but there’s very little follow through. Meanwhile. the use of technology is also a nice touch but not enough to help the audience connect to what’s going on inside Mia’s head. Beyond her social media statistics and her fake friends, there’s not a lot else. We don’t have anyone to root for. Is it okay for us to root for the killer?

In the end, Shook begins with a promising premise and opening sequence but ends up with a lead character that lacks substance and a story that, unfortunately, bobs and weaves its way towards a lacklustre finale. We’re not “shook”, and we doubt very much that you will be either.

still courtesy of Shudder

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