Dir. Brian Netto & Adam Schindler (2024)
A woman is paralyzed by a serial killer and must try to keep from becoming his latest victim.
There's something utterly terrifying about being in a situation where you're unable to move, forced to watch as events unfold around you and hoping that you can somehow regain your faculties in time to survive. Today's film, produced by horror royalty Sam Raimi, is about a woman who is in this exact situation, putting her survival skills to the test as she desperately tries to escape from a vicious killer. With some great performances and a decently quick moving plot, especially given the circumstances, Don't Move is a polished film with a dark and surprisingly violent resolution.
Iris (Kelsey Asbille) is contemplating suicide on a cliffside where her son recently died when she encounters a man named Richard (Finn Wittrock) who talks her down. On the way to her car, Richard uses a stun gun to knock her unconscious, and Iris awakens in his car completely unable to move. She's been given a sedative that paralyzes her, and she is forced to ride along with Richard as he plans to move her to his cabin for a weekend of the worst things imaginable. As she slowly regains the ability to move, she's forced to use every last bit of her wits to escape his clutches and survive the day.
Don't Move is shockingly violent at times and psychologically terrifying at others, as the audience is forced to imagine themselves in the same situation that Iris is experiencing. Asbille does a great job in a role that forces her to remain silent an immobile for large periods of time, and the progression of the film is handled especially well for a film that easily could've been incredibly slow. The various people that the pair come in contact with enables the filmmakers to up the body count much more than I would have expected, and the kills happen in progressively brutal ways.
Wittrock has made his name in films like this, playing the pretty dude with a dark secret in American Horror Story and again here. The duo work well together, and his charming psychopathy plays very well with Asbille's debilitated badass chick. The script is pretty good, though at times becomes a bit too lofty for its purposes, and the direction likewise enables both actors to play within their roles in a way that works perfectly for the film to accomplish its goals.
The effects in the film are fantastic and brutal, giving a much needed bloody addition to its cat-and-mouse plot. The character of Richard reminded me a lot of Israel Keyes, for my money the most terrifying serial killer of all time, and it's easy to imagine him killing countless women without being caught because of the isolated nature of his crimes. Wittrock plays it perfectly, and he's a truly terrifying character that feels hyper realistic in an age where this kind of thing happens much too often.
Raimi's producer credit will likely help this film get in front of a lot more of an audience that it otherwise would've received, which is a very good thing because it's a super fun film. It's difficult to find too much to criticize, and while it can at times feel like a run-of-the-mill thriller, it's very well done and an enjoyable watch. If you're into the "girl in the woods running from a killer" deal that's been done many times before, this is one of the better examples of the "genre" and is well worth a watch. The actors are great, and the effects help to elevate it above most of the films like it.
Who this movie is for: Serial killer movie fans, Survival horror lovers, Paraplegics
Bottom line: Don't Move is a surprisingly violent and psychologically terrifying film. The actors in the leads are excellent, the script works well with the subject matter, and the effects are top notch and shocking in their effectiveness. It's survival horror with a bit more mainstream feel, and the emotional impact of the film connects well with the audience. I'd definitely recommend giving this one a look.