Movie: Cobweb
Production Companies: Point Grey Pictures, Lionsgate, Vertigo Entertainment, Media Capital Technologies , Nu Boyana Film Studios, Red Coral Films
Director: Samuel Bodin
Producers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Roy Lee, Andrew Childs, Josh Fagen
Scriptwriters: Chris Thomas Devlin
Main Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr, Cleopatra Coleman, Woody Norman
Release Date: 1st September 2023
Running Time: 88 minutes
Certificate: 15
Introduction
This impressive little Halloween appetizer (a debut feature director Samuel Bodin) may take inspiration from other (and better) classic horror cinema, but that doesn’t stop it from delivering effective chills.
Synopsis
A young boy named Peter attempts to get the bottom of strange knocking noises that seem to be originating from the walls within his house which leads to a terrifying revelation.
Analysis
I must say, I am enjoying these horror films we’ve been lucky enough to get recently, ‘Talk To Me’ now this? More where that came from please. ‘Cobweb’ offers a genuinely well made spooky flick that isn’t so boringly by the books or a part of a head banging franchise that purely exists to pump money (*cough cough Conjuring Universe and Saw cough cough*)- sadly though, films like this don’t make much money as those do. Despite having blindingly obvious inspiration from other things, ‘The Babadook’ and ‘Carrie’ being the primary sources I noticed (as well as ‘Ringu’ and ‘Halloween’) the film still manages to give you goosebumps, and occasionally sets you heart racing with the suspense. I very rarely have felt chills like this when watching horror; bravo indeed. Speaking as someone who doesn’t like watching horror, it works even better in the film’s favor when I like it. I will say though , if you’re after a jumpy good time, you won’t quite get that here.
Yes, there are a couple in there (the main one being ruined by the trailer in fact) but nowhere many as I was expecting, which I didn’t mind, I actually prefer it when there’s not many at all. I do love those films that don’t rely on them every 5 minutes in order to be creepy or scary because that just reeks of laziness. In fact, the best horror films don’t even have that many because they are that well made, that’s just my preference. How refreshing to also see Dutch angles (when the camera is titled on the side) utilized again in film, you never see it anymore. There is a plot element (to reveal would be a spoiler) that doesn’t work or gel as well as the film thinks it does and you are expected to just go with it. You could also argue that the film follows a slightly formulaic pattern in which everything needs to go utterly mad and crazy at the end, and boy do you get that, and then some, with the obligatory addition of good old fashion horror violence (it’s quite literally as if they copied and pasted and entirely different film into the finale of this). Got to give the audience what they paid for I suppose.
But what’s important is that the film had earned to right to do so and gives you guts and gore in abundance. I do hate to be that person, but there were times where I was genuinely struggling to see what was happening, and I couldn’t tell if it was the film or screen but it did impact the final section of the film where a lot was going on. Hopefully it’s better elsewhere.
The film simply wouldn’t work if the performances weren’t there either. Thankfully, ‘The Boy’s” star Antony Starr and Lizzy Caplan pull of brilliantly creepy and enigmatic parents (a couple of set pieces in particular being quite disturbing) which I thought worked really well – leaving me pondering why it is I don’t see Starr in more roles considering how good he is here outside of ‘The Boys’. Woody Norman as Peter was also very impressive. All in all, please seek this out as quickly as you can, as I’m not sure how long it will stay available. This offers you something slightly different. Familiar but well done and creepy.
Overall Rating: 7/10 – Respectable
Target Audience: 15+
Content Warning: Horror, violence, language
Recommendation: Yes
