Fans of black comedy horror, rejoice. This new film by director Mimi Cave and writer Lauryn Kahn will give you something to chew on. Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is fed up with modern dating. She commiserates with her bestie, Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbs), and has all but given up on the online dating scene. Then one evening in a grocery store, she meets Steve (Sebastian Stan). He’s funny, down-to-earth, and best of all, not another self-centered creep.
Their courtship is proceeding as hoped, and then they decide to take a long weekend away, but because “traffic is bad,” they decide to spend the night at Steve’s spacious house and embark in the morning. The fateful decision turns Noa’s world upside down. Soon she’s in for the fight of her life.
Gripping and gory, the film takes a sharp turn toward the gruesome, but stylish filmmaking, terrific acting, and a story that delivers the twists that horror fans love makes this a film worth watching from relative newcomers Cave and Kahn. I hope they collaborate again! (114-min.)
—Glen Starkey
This article appears in Apr 7-14, 2022.