Zach Cregger's follow-up to The Barbarian cements his reputation as a horror master.
Cregger divides his story into character-driven chapters, giving it a more ensemble feel than if the narrative had moved in a straight line. So, after learning about Justine’s traumatic existence, which sets a tone for the film with an excellently prickly performance from the “Ozark” Emmy winner, we jump back in time to learn more about Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), the devastated father of one of the missing children.
Some of the events from Justine’s story converge with Archer’s, allowing us to see them in a different light. Some will surely argue that this sort of narrative gamesmanship is a shallow trick, but I see it as a feature, not a bug. It’s a film driven by competing narratives and hidden secrets. It’s a movie about what’s in your neighbor’s basement or something deadly in a criminal’s pocket, something waiting to jump out and hurt you.
There's a guest star that shows up and is exceptional.
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