Red Pill (2021) User Reviews

Take the blue pill instead.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 3/10 · 17 March 2021]

With Cine-Excess 2019 being the first film festival I actually attended, (where the late Norman J Warren was a fabulous guest.) I signed up straight away when I discovered a second online version of the festival was being held. Noticing that this had the shortest run-time of the films in the line-up,I got set to pop a pill.

View on the film:

Going behind the camera for the first time since the short movie What Came After (2016), costume designer/production designer/ writer/director/lead actress Tonya Pinkins is joined by cinematographer John Hudak Jr. In gathering the nine "Progressives" inside a isolated rural house filled with glossy whip-pans that slide between merry exchanges with the pals and iffy CGI jump scares.

Cutting to grainy CCTV footage of the friends being secretly recorded, Pinkins unveils distorted glimpses into Folk Horror, before shooting it down for a dire, flatly shot ending clearly based on The Handmaid's Tale TV series.

Entering a "red state" on the eve of the election, the screenplay by Pinkins disappointingly fails to give any of the friends major distinctive differences,with attempts at satire landing with a thud as they all agree on everything,and the baddies being given so little room to create an impression, that the twist ending comes off as a badly judged wacky final note,as the red pill turns blue.

What the heck did I just watch?

[Please_pick_a_different_username · 1/10 · 5 September 2022]

This was so bad I thought it was an asylum movie! But no! This thing was supposed to be taken seriously! Lmao. This movie was horribly filmed, like a teenager who just got their first video camera made it. Also the acting was some of the worst I've ever seen! How could anyone watch this and not cringe at the stupidity? Your guess is as good as mine. If you want to watch a good movie that works as a social satire, keep looking. There are many good ones available, but take my word for it, this is not the movie you're searching for! No wonder it's free to watch on some third rate streaming service. Lol.

A 2022 "1984"

[bfp13108 · 3/10 · 1 November 2022]

An allegory sprung from contemporary culture and politics n the U. S. Poor acting, poor plot development, plot holes galore. To rate this a 10 is to do a disservice to filmmakers everywhere. Yes, it's interesting. But I am betting the majority of viewers will have forgotten this film in a day or two after having watched it. Nothing stands out and there is plenty that doesn't make sense. I'm sure the budget for this film was on the very low end and it shows from the beginning to end. The premise is terrific but it could have been developed into something much more cohesive and satisfying. I have to wonder how many of the ten star reviews are coming from the film makers and their friends, as well as employees.

It is a horror but for the wrong reasons.

[mishelly05 · 2/10 · 7 September 2023]

After seeing all the ten star reviews, I felt obligated to leave an unbiased one. There is no way the high reviews are from anyone but those associated with the movie or the actors in it.

Ok, so I just deleted everything else I wrote. I felt horrible being so honest. I know people work hard and it pains me to critique harshly. I'll say this, it is not a well made movie in any category, from editing to dialogue. You might find entertainment in the good bad movie aspect but I did not. The premise intrigued me and it could have been so much better. Watch Get Out instead if you want social commentary horror.

One positive thing I will write...I read that Ms Perkins is a celebrated stage actress. If this one of her early film directing and acting projects, then she has much room to improve and I wish her well.

politically engaged thriller

[pbonrod · 10/10 · 20 March 2021]

I found this work to be an astute and entertaining comment on this moment -- both in terms of film and the nation state Clocking under two hours, it manages to tell a number of stories at a brisk pace.

While the horror genre lends itself to one anticipating outcomes, I was still surprised by the film's ending, as well as the endings of the characters -- many of whom I had grown to care for.

Admittedly, some images and circumstances echo other films in the genre, but Pinkin's story is puts those images and circumstance in service of greater questions about nation, race, and belonging. By the final, terrifying montage, I found myself reflecting on all that I had just seen.

Red Blood in the Soil

[sjqwsps · 10/10 · 20 March 2021]

There aren't dead spaces in this film. The viewer is either scared or anticipating feeling scared. The film begins with the illusion of comfort. We see aerial shots of a beautiful Virginia countryside in the fall season. The comfort turns to discomfort as we face death, desperation, and confusion with the characters. I don't want to tell you the story. I want to tell you the significance of this film. I understand that fans of Jordan Peele's "Get Out" will venture to see this film. But keep in mind that this is a flick for horror fans but much more. Red Pill brings in contemporary and historical themes including White women and Black women with issues of betrayal, Trumpism, and Black solidarity, while pushing in glimpses of enslavement of Africans. From 1619, there has been red blood in the Virginia soil from enslaved Africans. How fitting that the film connects horror with realistic fiction.

What a horror movie should be!

[alkel · 10/10 · 21 March 2021]

I'm not a fan of horror films; there's enough horror in the world and this genre causes me so much anxiety. I watched Red Pill because I am such a Pinkins fan. It stunned me that this film was something of a cross between a great art house film and a scary but rivating commentary on the extremes of racism in America. What I found most interesting were the stretches of dialog that addressed so many realities of that racism. I have to applaud, as well, the reversal of roles, turning the white guy into the icky, misogynistic product of white supremacy. Nothing could be clearer on the whole history of this country than this film. And, yes, it was scary af! This is what a film by a Black writer/director can be when there are no whites to put their I-know-better-than-you-how-to-tell-your-story spin on it. Please, let us see more films by Black writers, directors, and producers.

Somewhere you never expected to be

[hamduemail · 10/10 · 20 March 2021]

Tonya Pinkins' horror-film/reality show RED PILL will take you somewhere you never expected to be, but of course you have been there already. And as you watch, something keeps tugging at you, "Don't go there, don't go there!" but it's only a movie, so maybe you can have a few screams and then it's over. Or not.

The movie opens with a glimpse of terror that primes you dreadfully, but it then proceeds to be what a comfortable group of friends treat, at first as a socially conscientious vote-canvassing outing into rural Virginia mere days before the 2020 presidential election. They have rented a house that of course becomes the scene of their hideous demise.

The unexpected: One of them is... a "red pill," explained by Pinkins' character, Cassandra, thus: "Somebody who infiltrates a group in order to destroy it from within."

Foreboding makes itself visible in fits and starts as the tension builds; the viewer knows this cannot end well. Cassandra (a worldly Black woman) leads the group in identifying the fear at every step, but they good-naturedly reassure her to relax; they are safe, jovial friends on a woke mission, after all. "Wherever you go, that's where you are," her friend Rocky (Rubén Blades) advises. But that is the problem!

The scariest thing about this movie is also the most familiar, the most normal, mundane, and the most undeniable: for a Black woman, the monster hides in plain sight and even mocks you. And until the first actual murder takes place ("What's HAPPENING?" rings out from one of the trapped cohort) the juxtaposition of ordinary everyday life and inexorable looming unimaginable terror presents the actual atmosphere of the white world that African Americans must navigate in the 21st Century. The barbecue grill is always stored in the barn... right next to the noose.

With a rare artistry for horror films, Pinkins has evoked a world where you must laugh as the chains rattle. The movie has its full complement of bone-shaking screams and gasps of agony but as the characters scramble, shriek and cower as they try to evade their grim fate, you can also feel a full-throated resistance to the inevitable monstrosity: yes, this is where we live, and we do live, so long as we can.

I always watch movies with the goal of figuring out the ending well before it becomes manifest. I had to give up on that, this time. If you are Black in America, or if you live in and care about America, take a deep breath and watch RED PILL, at least once. (For me, it took more than one viewing.) Although the truth will not set you free, it will appear in big red letters.

The Nightmare we can't wake up from

[str8_70s · 10/10 · 21 March 2021]

Tonya Pinkins' film RED PILL is an artistic and, at times, even poetic yet muscular story that we all just went through. It is the nightmare we still can't wake up from. A collection of relatively ordinary people who want to improve their world drive into the rural South to Get Out the Vote before the 2020 election, and they walk right into a horror movie.

Folks, we have just been through this. Maybe this can help us wake up from the nightmare, or maybe not -- maybe it will just help us describe the nightmare more effectively. We laugh, we cry, if we survive it the credits roll. Using expert story-telling and ferocious images, Pinkins has made our nightmare materialize on the screen in red-hot terror, no let-up. The cast displays an energy that drags the viewer through some periods of jaw clenching that actually tired me out but thinking back on the last few years, I came to think of this as a catharsis. Two thumbs up and trembling.

Cutting Edge and Courageous Filmmaking

[lilibernard · 10/10 · 21 March 2021]

Powerful and provocative, Red Pill by Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins, is a gripping sociopolitical horror flick that found me sitting at the edge of my seat, crying and laughing at the same time, and then watching it again, immediately after the credits rolled. Rich with metaphor, satire, and the merging of history with contemporary issues, Red Pill breaks the mold of horror filmmaking. The multicultural cast of award-winning actors delivers nuanced and scintillating performances. Codified with sociocultural and political references, and teeming with symbolic imagery, Red Pill is a poetic feast. A brilliant and iconic work of art, Red Pill evokes conversation on issues critical to American history. Cutting edge and courageous filmmaking. Fantastical. Intellectual. Sophisticated. Surreal and yet so real.

Get Ready

[askthegooddoctor · 10/10 · 21 March 2021]

I don't fright easily, nor do I buy-in to conspiracies but RED PILL left my heart and mind racing! I have to say that I will now FOREVER have a side-eye on some of my friends. Brava Tonya Pinkins for this brilliant, thought-provoking production!

Best Directorial debut In years

[greg-dalessandro-200-519137 · 10/10 · 20 March 2021]

Tonya Pinkins takes horror to a new level! This breakout film was written, directed. and produced by the supremely gifted Pinkins, who stars alongside a talented cast who will have you clutching your seat (when you're not jumping out of it!). The pacing, flow and unrelenting creepiness (terror) keeps you engaged from the very first moment the six friends arrive at their rental house in a small Virginia town.

With Red Pill, Pinkins carves out her own niche in the horror genre. This a multi-layered, multi-dimensional thriller that hits all the right horror beats while artfully presenting a political, philosophical and even spiritual meditation on the current racial divide in this country.

Pinkins makes the viewer see (and feel) what could happen if today's political climate continues to spiral out of control. Is it possible for the world to become this truly terrifying place, one where white supremacy has totally destroyed people from the inside? What happens when whiteness is weaponized? It is a dark vision of what might be. It'll wake you up.

This is not to say this is an overly political film with a didactic message. Not at all. Pinkins takes us on a wholly entertaining, scary-as-hell, emotional ride that leaves you wanting to watch it again, to peel away the layers, and to wonder what will become of Cassandra at the hands of Red Pill.

A powerful directorial debut - bold and brave. Go see it. Be prepared to scream!!

Wicker Man meets Get Out!

[biglar-42682 · 10/10 · 21 March 2021]

Red Pill is the most satisfyingly unnerving and terrifying combination of Blair Witch Project, the original 1970's Wicker Man, and Get Out -- with surprise dashes of Sesame Street and Big Brother thrown in there! A diverse group of artistic and intellectual New Yorkers (all extremely attractive and casually/refreshingly well past the age of 40!) travel upstate together from the city on a mission to canvas for the upcoming presidential election. Things immediately get uncomfortable as conflicts about race and gender threaten this group first from within their thoughts and conversations and then from outside and all around the charming house they have rented in the country. A real horror movie emerges, always with unwavering undertones of the real-life horrors of systemic and inherited racism and privilege yet not too high tone to deliver some serious suspense and gore. All of the performances from the 6 leads are committed and believable, even in the extraordinary situations in which their characters find themselves. This movie is a treat that will poke and challenge you and your ideas about race in the most thrilling way!

Really frightening, well done!

[hvmcfzpf · 10/10 · 20 March 2021]

Tonya Pinkins created a mastermovie. It is not a typical horror movie, although I find it very spooky. There is great music as well, and fabulous actors! I highly recommend to watch "Red Pill".

I CAN NEVER WEAR RED LIPSTICK AGAIN

[junerballinger · 10/10 · 23 March 2021]

OMG OMG OMG! 😱 I did NOT see that end coming. And I read the script!! I loved how everything goes super political following the gunshot. I watched it twice. I could watch that final part 20 times and not glean all the symbols. This is so much more than the genre "horror film" suggests. It's smart and political. The entire cast was perfect. Perfect. Great performances. The tension. I screamed out loud so many times. The co-opting of the two white women friends at the end . THAT is the real horror. I don't dare wear red lipstick again. the DP is terrific. Just gorgeous production values... color is stunning. I could talk for hours about it. Love the soundscape too.

A Scare as old as Time

[sflevine-39102 · 10/10 · 8 July 2021]

I'll start by saying I immediately wanted to watch this film again!

Loved the casting - I thought the actors were excellent and well matched. The antagonist didn't have to say anything at all and I still got the point! Maybe even loved the role a little more for the mystery...

The storyline is modern but the themes are old as time.

I would also say the first like 10 minutes of the film really set the stage so don't be late to your viewing!

Otherwise bring a full bowl of popcorn... and eat it fast so you don't throw it out of you lap at the first thrill!!!

Timely

[newkemit · 10/10 · 26 January 2022]

A powerful, suspenseful thriller that reflects the ills affecting our country. The characters are relatable but also as the ending shows -- people can surprise us and the things that nightmares are made of.

The Gore, The Horror....

[roberthamptonnyc · 10/10 · 22 March 2021]

...and that was just tonight's news!

Merging truth with fiction in art is a talent. In the case of Tonya Pinkins' Red Pill she is borderline seer.

Red Pill pulls no punches coaxing iconic imagery we see on a daily basis, and magnifying the true horrors behind the history.

Riveting. Cutting-edge. Must see over and over and over like the the endless realities of hate playing before us in our history books.

Profound projection

[csnjtcww · 10/10 · 1 April 2021]

Written from the perspective of someone who gave up on horror films back in the 80's. This horror combines real life atrocities with creative projections- many of which came true which is even scarier!!! The use of cult- like rituals and witch like ceremonies got me...especially the parts using bodily fluids! The subtle hints at WHO might be the infiltrator were not lost on me and this was an interesting abs creative way to display the hurdles black and brown folks still encounter TODAY along with what allyship and friendship can look like - imperfect and flawed and creating harm, despite "good intentions".