'Sick' Is A Brutal Slasher That Pulls No Punches In Its Short Running Time [Review]
Sick is the latest slasher from beloved Scream screenwriter, Kevin Williamson. It takes place during those terrifying early days of the pandemic, where no one knew what was going on, there wasn’t a vaccine, and stores were selling out of essential items. Harper (Gideon Adlon) and her friend Miri (Bethlehem Million) are quarantining together in Harper’s family’s lavish, stunning lake house, which is conveniently located in the middle of nowhere, with the closest neighbor miles away. That sounds quite perfect for quarantining in a global pandemic, but when you’re that isolated, what happens when something goes wrong, and you need help?
Sick, a clever and to-the-point horror, examines that very unsettling hypothetical. That house might be drool-worthy, but once the killer is after them, it doesn’t matter how much money Harper’s family has. It doesn’t matter how many followers she has, or how pretty she is, death, clothed in an outfit that looks like a ninja Halloween costume, is coming, and it does not discriminate. The action shots are almost disorienting, the frenetic way in which the camera moves only enhancing the tension.
Not unlike Scream, Sick has a brutal opening scene - though this one also features face masks, hand sanitizer, and plenty of Lysol wipes. The tension is almost unbearable as we watch a young man’s unsuccessful grocery trip, knowing at any moment he’s about to be attacked, but not when or why. Know that this movie is scary. At first there are some fake outs, like when a man audaciously breaks into Harper’s place, only to reveal himself as Harper’s hookup buddy who caught feelings, DJ (Dylan Sprayberry). Initially they are mad he’s there, since he was not invited. But he’s the first one to notice that something is wrong, and has no problem stepping in to defend Harper.
The attacks are ferocious, so do not expect to be spared of any gore. Running around 80 minutes, Sick has no time to waste. And once the action starts, it doesn’t stop until your last nerve is fried. And that’s not even addressing the mystery of the movie, which is who in the world is this stranger, and why do they want to hurt Harper and Miri? You’ll be yelling at the screen, but not at the leads, because unlike in many horror movies, they actually make smart decisions. The problem is, so does the killer. Case in point, when the killer first sneaks in, they steal everyone’s cell phones, so they have no way to call for help.
Sick gets right to the point, barely giving the girls time to unpack before the killer sneaks into what was supposed to be their safe space. You are primed to be scared, since thinking back to the beginning of the pandemic reminds us how frightening it was not knowing what was going on or if we were going to make it through alive - not unlike Harper and Miri in this movie.
There’s also this idea of isolation, which drove many of us crazy during the pandemic. Someone taking away my cell phone, wifi, and car is unbelievably stressful, and that’s without adding in that once you are at your most vulnerable, someone is going to attack. There are moments that might make people cringe, or upset that it’s too soon to be making content about this horrible thing that happened globally. However, Sick does a great job of combining the terror of those early days of COVID-19, a very real thing we all went through, with the escapism of a slasher film.
Adlon plays Harper in such an authentic way, you feel her pain, and are really invested in her survival. She’s quarantining, because she wants to be safe, but that doesn’t mean she can’t have a good time. “I told you. I know how to 2020." Miri, on the other hand, is supposed to visit with her immunocompromised dad after quarantining, so she’s taking it very seriously. She’s furious when DJ sneaks in without even wearing a mask, though her priorities quickly change. Million plays her beautifully (in her first film role!), her face showing every anxiety and fear, as well as an undeserving amount of pain. Miri feels like someone you know, which, again, makes you all the more invested, and hoping she survives the night.
You may want to avoid if you find COVID-19 content is triggering, but I found it quite cathartic, as the film enables you to see a bit of humor amidst all the hysteria and panic. It’s a Kevin Williamson joint, so you know there is plenty of comic relief to break up the tension, in the form of clever dialogue. And trust me, that is needed, because Sick moves at a breakneck pace, and with all the ruthlessness of director John Hyams' 2020 thriller, Alone.
Williamson loves a good chase scene, and Sick almost feels like one, never-ending chase scene in the best way possible. One moment that takes place in the water at night was so genuinely terrifying to me that I found myself squirming in my seat. Another finds someone desperately using plastic wrap to try to set a broken bone. As the film goes on, the beautiful windows in the living room change from a stunning way to access natural light, to a vulnerability the killer can use to get to them.
Sick is a test of this women’s friendship, as well as their will to survive. Horror has always had badass women - like Laurie Strode, Sidney Prescott, and Ellen Ripley to name a few - and with Sick, we are introduced to two more in Miri and Harper. I can't wait for this to have a wide release so more people can see it.
