Sometimes a film director just defies being pigeon-holed. Take Jaume Collet-Serra as a prime example of this. To genre fans, the Spanish-American director is best known for the House of Wax remake in 2005, as well as the excellent shark movie The Shallows (2016) and the start of the one of the unlikeliest franchises ever with Orphan in 2009. But he’s also filmed four Liam Neeson action thrillers on the trot and two Dwayne Johnson SFX-heavy family films, not to mention the hit 2024 Netflix die-harder Carry On. And next up is a reboot/sequel/whatever of Cliffhanger, the seminal Sly Stallone film which will have Lily James in the newly furnished lead role. You can’t say he doesn’t work for his money. Before that though, he has returned to horror again, and joined up with Blumhouse no less, to present this modest little sojourn into supernatural unease. The film has a strong African-American cast list including Danielle Deadwyler (I Saw the TV Glow, Carry On), Okwui Okpokwasili (The Exorcist: Believer), and Russell Hornsby (Grimm). At one point, the script was on the “Black List”, that annual trumpeting of the most-anticipated screenplays, although that never guarantees a hit or even a decent movie in some cases. Filmed deep in Georgia, the story has been kept mostly under wraps but is now creeping onto the big screens (with very little fanfare from Blumhouse it must be said) in the UK and US. But is it a barnyard bust or a field of dreams?

 

The plot starts with Ramona (Deadwyler) curled up in bed and watching a video of her husband on her mobile phone. This personal time is interrupted by her teenage son (Peyton Jackson as Taylor, Ramona's son) who informs her that the power is out in their remote farmhouse. Ramona is then revealed to have a badly injured leg, the result of a car accident that took the life of her husband and also left her reliant on crutches for mobility. As she (figuratively and literally) stumbles through the morning, it’s pretty obvious that she is also crippled with grief and potentially neglecting her two kids (including Estella Kahiha as Annie). That is why it’s so disconcerting to see a woman sitting solemnly in a chair near the entrance to her house. Clad in mourning garb and with a veiled face, she just watches the family. Verbally challenging her reveals very little and they are unable to contact any authorities due to the lack of power and transport. Not only that but when they take their eyes off her, she appears to be moving closer to the building. So what will happen when she reaches it?

 

This is more Marmite than “Milkshake” (gotta cram more of those Kelis references in there!). However, the main thing to note about TWITY (you can see why no one is using that abbreviation much) is that it’s a mass of analogies and metaphors. Like most studio genre releases these days, it can be categorised (if you feel the need to do so) as being an “elevated horror”. In other words, it uses familiar tropes and scares to make a point about the human condition or explore artistic takes on well-worn themes. The film is no more just a simple tale about a spooky biddy spoiling a driveway, than The Substance was merely a gory story about a youth serum, or Get Out was all about rich folk body-swapping. Suffice it to say that “Woman” isn’t just an “evil entity that terrorises wholesome family” narrative as heavily suggested in the trailers and promotions. In all likelihood, that’s probably why it has had a relatively negative reception from critics and some audiences. Perhaps people just want to boo monsters and cheer Final Girls in these complicated times. At any rate, it has had something of a kick-to-head in some circles. And (at least in IMHO) that’s a shame, because it’s not that bad and has some pretty decent elements to it.

 

It is very low-key horror, scoring that (apparently still all-important) PG rating in the States, so beyond animal bothering and occasional jump-scares, don’t expect an extreme experience. In all honesty, with the small cast and the single location, it would probably work as a stage play, perhaps even more so than the recent The Front Room. Despite that, it still tackles some big ideas and very real problems on certain fronts. For a start, “The Woman” (no name given… at least at the beginning) is a genuinely disturbing presence and is eventually given a “personality” of sorts, although this is a slow-burn process. She is obviously, to some extent, a representation of human qualities and the nature of grief and/or depression is the overriding theme here, especially the devastating collateral damage they can cause to others. How you respond to that element of the story is ultimately how you will respond to the film as a whole. But at least it shirks that tiresome “and-it-was-all-in-her-head” cliché because her kids are the first to spot the Woman and she has a direct effect on the environment (especially chickens). Despite this, it’s still possible to react negatively to this symbolic part of the proceedings.

 

Another reason for some of the less-than-glowing reviews might be the overall tone of the piece. It’s just so dry and serious, with the single piece of humour coming from someone putting crisps in the cooked eggs for breakfast. Otherwise, it’s furrowed-brow city and a smile-free sanctuary. At some points, it almost descends into “misery porn”. You know what I mean. It’s that point where so many problems and pressure are piled onto a central character that it feels like a parody or a manipulative weepie. For what it’s worth, there is some self-awareness on this front and the worst excesses are (just about) avoided, not to mention swerving a moment that threatens to transform the narrative into a depressing “Groundhog Day”. So, not exactly selling it at the moment, but there is some good stuff in there.

 

In subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways, the motif of duality is present throughout the plot. Young Annie keeps getting her “R”’s the wrong way during home-schooling (reminiscent of The Shining), the whole thing about “hiding” secrets and feelings from others is a key point, and during one moment someone literally goes “through the mirror”. If that doesn’t get the point across, the final shot underlines it all with a close-up of a certain object. You can figure that into humankind’s latent inability to share stuff or even a take on bipolar disorders if you like. It is a bit heavy-handed but it kind of works, although this level of personal interaction is probably not what people were expecting from the trailer.

 

With that in mind, there are some decent (if familiar) aspects to the Woman’s scare tactics. The best part is the use of light and shadows. It’s very similar to the recent Dracula and Nosferatu incarnations, as her shadow creeps along and moves objects in a very real manner. This is cleverly bolstered by the setting sun late in the day, which elongates her influence and reach. Cue a great scene where Taylor runs around the house covering the windows however best he can or when a flickering torch becomes an important item in the denouement. It also helps that a genuine actress is used to play the Woman, rather than CGI or the chestnut of a skull-faced individual. And although jump-scares are in evidence, it’s the overall tone and message that provides some needed depth to the proceedings rather than otherworldly slap-fights.

 

It helps that the cast are excellent in their roles and (for the most part) the scenes are nicely filmed and atmospherically lit. It also doesn’t pander to easy answers, and you can come away from it with your own interpretation and/or questions. It’s not going to light up the box office or fill Blumhouse’s coffers with gold bars, but with a budget of just $12m it’ll at least break even within a few weeks, and it can’t be classed as a crushing disappointment. If you can accept some of the heavy-handed themes and the slow-burn emotional nature of it, this is a perfectly acceptable small-scale horror with some neat moments and serious observations. As evidence of this, check out the nicely accomplished family photo scene and what it ultimately leads to in a cinematic and personal sense. It’s not a genre masterpiece but it accomplishes what it sets out to do. Not a yard fail at all.