My family and I got to see this movie in L. A. at a debut that featured the director and cast for a Q&A afterward. While the title and the gory horror might draw viewers in, I think it's the more subtle horror that will make this movie live in their heads afterward.
Yes, there's a nerdy, defiant lead character who raises the dead in her lab. Yes, there's a zombie-like echo of her brother who terrorizes the neighborhood. But what follows are a few of the most impactful moments from my perspective:
1. Vicaria's conflict with her teacher and the teacher's transformation of her anger into police power in the classroom.
2. Vicaria's dad and his pushback on that teacher.
3. The death of Vicaria's friend and failed resuscitation attempt.
4. The family dinner moment when the police start banging on the door.
These moments create a strong sense of an always-hostile world experienced by the Black lead characters. The horror here is less in Vicaria's experiments, and more in the casual wielding of deadly power by white authority figures such as the police and the teacher. Their moments of joy are rare and fleeting. The baseline experience is existential dread.
Please go watch this movie. If you and your kids are OK with gory horror, take them, too.
Yes, there's a nerdy, defiant lead character who raises the dead in her lab. Yes, there's a zombie-like echo of her brother who terrorizes the neighborhood. But what follows are a few of the most impactful moments from my perspective:
1. Vicaria's conflict with her teacher and the teacher's transformation of her anger into police power in the classroom.
2. Vicaria's dad and his pushback on that teacher.
3. The death of Vicaria's friend and failed resuscitation attempt.
4. The family dinner moment when the police start banging on the door.
These moments create a strong sense of an always-hostile world experienced by the Black lead characters. The horror here is less in Vicaria's experiments, and more in the casual wielding of deadly power by white authority figures such as the police and the teacher. Their moments of joy are rare and fleeting. The baseline experience is existential dread.
Please go watch this movie. If you and your kids are OK with gory horror, take them, too.