V 🥀’s review published on Letterboxd:
“Daddy!, Mommy! Unmake me and save me from the hell of living!”
Cage seems to be having a versatile renaissance. Iconic. Yes, he was verging on comedic, but an impending doom took over those initial impressions.
Visually, this was perfection. From the opening credits to the closing, these scenes were my favorites. They lingered in your mind after showing up. The aspect ratio changing from flashbacks to the present day was a genius way to differentiate worlds. It didn’t take long to realise that the widescreen images were meticulously taken up with negative space as if something were lurking, and this immediately caused unease. The score is just as juxtaposed, playing classic rock hits throughout, which almost lures you into a mindset of enjoyment quickly swathed by a pit in your stomach waiting for more.
I needn’t go into Maika Monroe; she’s been one to watch since The Guest and It Follows. Thoroughly enjoyable deadpan performance. Nic Cage is the star here; his performance as this otherworldly, androgynous, puffy entity was truly impressive. His trademark personality came through, but at times it was difficult to comprehend him under all that gear.
Obvious inspiration drawn from the likes of Zodiac and Se7en, including mind control. I love a film with subliminal messaging, and this feels like one to keep coming back to, but the crutch for me was the storyline and, in particular, the ending. After being confidently indosyincranic and leaning into mind control or hypnosis, the fact that we also had to have psychic abilities and a rough childhood kind of deconstructed the plot for me. I think on a rewatch, these dots may connect a little easier.
Oz Perkins is true to his craft; with similarities to Blackcoat's daughter (which truly slipped through the net for most, originally titled February), he creates a world of wonderfully unsettling suspense.
