Sam (Hayley Griffith) has had a rough go of it as of late. Having to take a pizza delivery job from a skeevy acquaintance she not only encounters some of the worst customers possible but isn’t even tipped well. Getting a last minute delivery, Sam finds herself in the posh neighborhood of Mill Basin. When stiffed on a tip for a huge order she barges into the house to beg for it. What she discovers are a wealthy coven, led by Danica (Rebecca Ramijin) trying to conjure up the demon Baphomet. In need of a virgin they kidnap Sam and leave her with the sleazy Samuel (a hilarious Jerry O’Connell). Escaping into the wealthy neighborhood she saves Judi (Ruby Modine), a would-be sacrifice and Danica’s daughter.
From there Satanic Panic becomes a race against time with Danica and her fellow occultists (including Jordan Ladd and Jeff Daniel Phillips) after the chaste Sam. Portrayed by relative newcomer Hayley Griffith she gives her all into a relatively underwritten role. Griffith brings a charming mix of sweetness and naiveté to Sam despite, more often than not, playing the straight man to the rest of the cast. Her character is only really developed when she is paired up with Judi. Best known to genre fans as Lori in Happy Death Day, Ruby Modine goes all out as the foul mouthed rich kid. Her type A personality not only working well with the more timid Sam but stealing pretty much every scene she’s in. It’d work better if all the performances weren’t the same.
From the slacker employees at Homerun Pizza to the Satanists plotting against Danica it feels like each performer was told to play their role as big and as broad as possible. Although this works for Modine and a particularly hammy Rebecca Ramijin it becomes exhausting when nobody plays things straight. It is particularly noticeable when the jokes don’t land. Written by Grady Hendrix the jokes tend to be hit or miss with the hits rarely hitting in succession. The jokes that do work tend to require knowledge of the horror genre. Things like horror mainstay AJ Bowen playing against type as the scummy Duncan is only funny for audiences with an intimate knowledge of horror. Which is odd considering how lacking Satanic Panic can be when it comes to scares.
On the other hand, Satanic Panic is much more successful when it comes to the gory gags used in the spells. Clearly fans of the genre, Grady Hendrix and director Chelsea Stardust come up with several sordid set pieces. With special effects done by Tate Steinsiek and Chris A Wilks, they come up with several gruesome gags reminiscent of Evil Dead and early Peter Jackson to great effect. Satanic Panic blends humor and the macabre to great effect. Unfortunately we don’t get to see too much of their diabolical creation due to the movie’s surprising lack of thrills. Focusing mostly on the comedy aspects there’s actually very little horror with all of the surprises and kills played for laughs. Sure you don’t go in expecting it to be Midsommar but it is disappointing when you consider all of the horror connections in front of the camera and behind the scenes.
With a clear love for all things spooky and a promising premise Satanic Panic had all the makings to be the perfect horror comedy. But like Sam’s night in Mill Basin things don’t go as planned. While there are some funny bits and some fun performances Satanic Panic settles into a lull where it’s not quite funny enough to be a good comedy and not scary enough to be considered a good horror film either. I definitely think the Chelsea Stardust has a bright future and has a really great movie in her but Satanic Panic isn’t it.
The Boogeyman | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios
The Boogeyman is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman, based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King.
Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher, David Distmalchian
Plot Summary:
The Boogeyman is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman, based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King.
Horror has been one of the most profitable genres in recent years due to its low cost to produce scary pics while constantly drawing in audiences. Pair that theory with a fresh star like one from HBO’s House of the Dragon and you might have a hit on your hands. That’s exactly what director Nicolas Pesce (The Grudge, Eyes of My Mother) aims to do with his latest horror film as Deadline is reporting that Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon, Ready Player One) will lead Visitation.
Visitation will follow a 14-year-old girl named Maria who is sent away to live with nuns while her mother is dying of an illness, however, her stay at the monastery quickly takes an eerie turn as one of her caretakers starts to be enamored with her for all the wrong reasons. Cooke is set to play a nun who is central to the story, but further character details are under wraps for now. Cooke will be joined in the film by other cast members Isla Johnston, Alfie Allen, Penelope Wilton and Stephen Rea.
Cooke is best known for her role as Alicent Hightower in the new hit HBO fantasy/drama House of the Dragon. She has also appeared in supporting roles for indies such as Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Sound of Metal as well as supporting roles in blockbusters such as Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. Cooke will next appear in the thriller, Mother’s Milk alongside Hilary Swank and Jack Reynor. Alfie Allen is also no stranger to the Game of Thrones universe as he starred as Theon Greyjoy in the HBO series. He most recently appeared in the MGM+ show SAS Rogue Heroes. While Johnston played the younger version of Beth Harmon in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit and Rea most recently appeared alongside Emily Blunt in the Amazon series, The English but is best known for his Oscar-nominated role in 1992’s The Crying Game.