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This one is, admittedly, a bit late. Although it was released on Mother's day, I did not hear about or see it until yesterday. Which, now that I have watched it, makes me wish I had seen it and reviewed it on its initial release. Because This has to be one of the scariest and most intense films I have seen all year, and I watched Antebellum.
The story follows Diane (Sarah Paulson) and her daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen) living a decent life at their remote home in the countryside. Chloe was born prematurely and has grown up with a series of medical issues. Including diabetes and using a wheelchair. Despite these challenges, Diane has done all she can to help her daughter live a full and happy life. Chloe has grown up into an intelligent young girl with aspirations of going to college despite her challenges. However, things take a strange and disturbing turn when she begins to question some of her medications. With no internet or cell phone at her disposal, Chloe uses her wits to find the truth about what she has been taking all this time. Will the truth be nothing more than another development in her treatment, or will it prove itself to be something more sinister than she could have imagined?
This film is a well-crafted edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller. It's a clever combination of Rear Window and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? with a dash of Mommy Dearest for good measure. If you have seen any of those films, I assure you, Run one-ups them all somehow. That's not to say that any of those aforementioned classics are bad, just that they now have some decent modern competition.
The writing is where this movie shines the brightest. Penned by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian, whose previous work included the suspense thriller Searching (which I have not seen yet), the script's best aspect is the character of Chloe. Who is, hands down, the smartest and most badass character I can remember seeing in a horror film. Despite her disabilities and other handicaps, she succeeds in overcoming all of them with her wits, insightful mind, and determination. Even when it seems as if there's no way around an obstacle, she finds one like a champion. If this character was pitted against an unstoppable horror slasher icon such as Jason Vorhees, I'd put my money on Chloe.
While it may contain many familiar elements of other classic thrillers, its presentation is still uniquely executed enough to stand out. This is one film that is sure to scare the whole crowd at your next Halloween party. Check it out.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
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