The Movie: Lair
The Director: Adam Ethen Crow
The Cast: Corey Johnson, Oded Fehr, Alexandra Gilbreath, Sean Buchanan, Aislinn De'ath, Kashif O'Connor, Anya Newall, Alana Wallace
The Story: When Ben Dollarhdye is accused of murder, saying he was possessed by a demonic force, Steven Caramore investigates his friend's claims, setting off a chain of events that forces a young family into a terrifying battle for survival.
The Review:
Now days the horror genre seems to have an endless supply of content coming out with so many sub genres being created and filmmaking techniques being employed, it's nearly impossible to keep track of it all. The quality of the films is also across the board with some real gems being found hidden in the weeds of the indie landscape and then there's also big turds that pop up from major studio releases like a certain holiday themed one that came out recently.
For me, this movie falls somewhere into the middle ground of that horror landscape as the story is solid and entertaining although not anything I was able to get too excited about. There are a couple decent jump scares which is always nice although isn't really any tension to keep you engaged enough to get to those moments. What bogs things down is the acting which leaves a lot to be desired and sometimes creates unintended comedy in those spaces where tension should be building so that's a big area where it falls flat. Corey Johnson trying way too hard to be a bristling a-hole type character is the prime example here of not going with the old less is more philosophy.
I actually really like the idea of raiding a stash of supposed paranormally possessed items to see if they really are filled with evil spirits and demons and such, it's just that it's wasted before it's given a chance to really get things going. I feel like that should have been more a focus of the story as it would have given more opportunities to build tension and scares. The whole movie feels like several idea thrown together without any of them being properly fleshed out
Having a same sex couple in the movie gives a nice nod to LGBTQ+ representation although the duo also end up being utilized for some look at the ladies making out type moments which of course are being secretly observed by the white male lead. Not going down that road would have given the characters more agency as, outside of those moments, they just existed as a couple without it being force fed. Nice effort, I guess but also a missed opportunity to move the needle on representation.
The Verdict:
Lair is a jumble of ideas that struggles to find a consistent narrative and even a few good jump scares can't save it from being just okay. Not a bad movie, but not something I would tell you to put at the top of your to do list.
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