Directed by Akiva Goldsman. Written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. Starring Frank Grillo, Anna Torv, Shree Crooks and Harold Perrineau.
Plot: after a mysterious apocalyptic event, a young girl lives alone, in her home, hiding from a sinister force.
This is one movie where I completely understand the shitty reviews. The terrible story follows Stephanie (Crooks), who is all alone in a big house and living rather poorly. She’s eating unhealthy foods, having full on conversations with a stuffed animal, cutting herself on broken glass and hiding from some unseen monster. It is also revealed that her brother is dead in his bed, but she still visits with him, even though she blames him for her parents leaving her. And every now and then, when Stephanie watches the TV, we catch glimpses of the news talking of an “invasion” and “quarantines”.
But where are Stephanie’s parents? And why did they leave her all alone? That question is answered once her father (Grillo) and mother (Torv) return to the house. But the truth isn’t all that surprising. At least not to me. So, here are some spoilers, if you want them.
******SPOILERS AHEAD******
**************************************
*************************************************
When Stephanie’s mother and father return home, they seem surprised to see that Stephanie is still alive. They also keep insisting that she keep her emotions in check because if she doesn’t, the monsters will come. Of course, there are no “real” monsters. Stephanie is the monster. Her parents attempt a surgical procedure to stop the monster from coming out, but she puts a stop to it. Then, in a last-ditch effort to stop her, mother and father poison her cocoa, but Stephanie stops that, too. Her father shoots her several times, but it does nothing. She gets up afterward and kills them instead. And at the very end, the camera pans out to show that Stephanie is not the only monster. There are children all over the globe causing chaos. Yay.
What good can I say about this movie? The acting was pretty perfect. The specials were good, too. But there was no motive. Worse yet, there was no point. It had nothing of any significance to say. And there was a dead rabbit thrown in there for the sheer horror of it. Don’t like that. Don’t like the whole damn thing.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
View all posts by TaraRomero
BLOOD RED REVIEWS 