Writer(s): Kolsch and Widmyer
Starring: Alex Essoe, Amanda Fuller, Noah Segan, Fabianne Therese
As great as Netflix can be (and I hardly even use it;
anything that can keep my wife silent and entertained for hours at a time is
good in my book), there’s one genre that’s sorely lacking: Horror films.
Yes, I’m fully aware it has a couple classics, like Rosemary’s Baby,
and The Exorcist, and a few passable modern horror films, but it’s mostly
just a cesspool of direct-to-video junk.
It is for this reason that I largely stay away, and stick to the library,
or other sources on the internet, when I’m looking for good horror flicks.
I was reading a list of the “Top 60 Horror Movies Streaming
on Netflix” and, while Starry Eyes didn’t get so much as a single mention in
the actual article, it came highly regarded by several users in the
comments. Considering any list that
promises you more than ten great horror movies on Netflix is clearly lying, let
alone one promising six times that, I decided to ignore the author, and go for
the users’ pick.
The plot is straightforward, and breaks no new ground: A
woman desperately wants to be an actress so bad, that she’s willing to do
anything to get a part. That’s pretty
much it, in a nutshell. Of course, bad
things happen to her, or we wouldn’t have a horror movie; much of the stuff you
will see coming. A few of the things,
you might not.
I thought the first half (give or take a few minutes) was
enthralling; the focus on Sarah’s ambition was fascinating, and the acting was
solid. (I was also surprised to see
Fabianne Therese, who I fell in love with (also figuratively) in the terrible
TurboTax commercials that aired a couple of years ago.) In fact, one of the things that surprised me
most, is that this had the feel of a wide-released theatrical horror film,
rather than one that’s only getting attention from its Netflix release. It’s competently made, competently directed,
well-shot, and, for the most part, well-written. It captured my attention perfectly, and
really had me guessing where it might go next.
Then comes the second half:
Sarah does something bad in exchange for being promised the lead in a
film, and that’s when it all starts going downhill…and I don’t just mean for
Sarah, but the picture in general.
That’s when it goes from a fascinating character study, to a by-the-numbers
slasher flick. I must admit, the deaths
are nasty and bloody, and part of this section definitely appealed to the
gorehound in me, but I couldn’t help but feel they were completely
unnecessary. I’m sure others will argue;
they’ll say it was necessary to show her drive and determination, but I thought
it was just a cheap tactic, like the writers had run out of any original ideas
and just resorted to murder.
Even after this section, the movie just doesn't seem like it's going to stop, like a friend who keeps babbling on, despite having nothing to say (or, as
defenders of the film will likely say, me).
We learn the origins of those that took advantage of Sarah. We’ll think about how this happens every day;
about how women are taken advantage of all the time, or, at least I think
that’s all this was trying to say. I
thought about how this was not telling me anything I didn’t already know, or
showing me in a way I had not seen before.
Let’s just say, by the end, I was glad it was over.
Despite its flaws (which mainly take up the entire second
half), I still must say that if garbage like Saw 10 (or wherever we are with
that one right now) can play in theaters, I have no idea why this one
couldn’t. Sure, I didn’t approve of the
ending, or everything as a whole, but it was certainly well-made, and it was at
least different from most of the repetitive, pointless dreck that fills theater
screens. But at least it’s getting some
recognition somewhere. That’s more than
some movies ever receive.
RECAP: The first half is fascinating, if not entirely unpredictable,
but then the second half degrades into a thoughtless typical slasher flick; the
gore effects are bloody, and well done, but they feel like a cheap gimmick when
compared to the gripping first act.
Despite its flaws, though, it’s still a welcome addition to Netflix’s
horror collection, which is short on even above-average horror fare. If you’re into this sort of thing, it’s worth
a watch.
SCORE: 6/10
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