I still can’t quite believe yet that we went through all that we went through some two years ago. I’m talking about the COVID pandemic and everything related to it. The reason why I mention this is because the opening minutes of Sick, a by-the-book slasher movie, will bring back memories of that time. Memories of empty shelves, paranoia, fear, and masks, masks everywhere. And just when you’re in the middle of this dreadful stroll down memory lane, a masked killer will appear. He’s there to remind you you’re watching a classic slasher horror movie Sick and you’re about to witness the first kill.
Straightforward and effective, Sick is a movie about two best friends who go to their lake house to quarantine for the weekend. As you can already guess, a masked killer will follow them there. What happens next is your classic game of cat and mouse with a couple of interesting twists. To counter so many clichés we’ve seen in the first half, Sick throws a curve ball just as the second half starts. You’ll have the opportunity to see something you’ve been screaming the characters to do in countless other horror movies. And don’t worry, after that, there will be a couple more twists.
This is a truly well-crafted movie that doesn’t try to be anything else or more. It knows perfectly well what it is and what are its strengths and it digs into them. The atmosphere is suspenseful and the editing is excellent. Not to mention the short running time of just eighty minutes. Plus, our masked killer will get quite beat up, something you don’t see often in slashers. Sick also features the highest number of “someone’s sneaking in the background” scenes I have ever seen in a movie. Our young cast did a solid job and I can see a bright future for Gideon Adlon and especially Bethlehem Million.
It is the year of our lord Satan 2020 and the COVID pandemic is sweeping across the world. With the number of cases constantly rising, schools and colleges announce they’re requiring everyone to quarantine. This won’t be hard for Parker and Miri, two best friends who decide to hide out in Parker’s huge holiday house by the lake. What they don’t know is that someone is going to follow them there. Someone who wishes them harm…
Since there are so few characters, there won’t be as many kills as in other slasher movies. However, I think that’s a good thing as it enables the movie to build up the tension and make the most of the ones we do have. The whole concept reminded me of another recent slasher movie, Bodies Bodies Bodies starring ethereal Lee Pace. Although Sick feels like a Scream spin-off to be honest and for a good reason too. It was written by Kevin Williamson who wrote two of the most popular slasher movies of the nineties: Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Speaking of the nineties, the director of this movie is John Hyams, son of Peter Hyams who was behind a lot of entertaining horrors and thrillers released during that decade. I’m talking about movies like Time Cop, The Relic, and End of Days. And John’s filmography isn’t too shabby either although I think he’s just getting started. Finally, I just want to mention that out of all the movies that have something to do with COVID, Sick is probably the one that handled it best.
Director: John Hyams
Writers: Kevin Williamson, Katelyn Crabb
Cast: Gideon Adlon, Bethlehem Million, Dylan Sprayberry, Marc Menchaca, Jane Adams
Fun Facts: Sick is available on Peacock, a streaming service that’s part of the NBCUniversal conglomerate.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14642626/
