Parents fight to save their son when a mysterious creature uses his electronic devices to break into our world.
If you’re looking for a good old-fashioned spooky ghost story to spice up your Halloween, look no further than Jacob Chase’s nifty little horror flick “Come Play.” The filmmaker expertly builds suspense and, for the most part, avoids the trappings of such a feature. Even when he does fall into them, he delivers on the scares. “Come Play” won’t rewrite the horror film rule book, but it wears its influences proudly on its sleeves. It serves as a decent-if-on-the-nose metaphor for overcoming your fears, and is suitably empathetic with those society deems “weird.”
Two of said influences are Steven Spielberg’s “Poltergeist” and Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook.” “Come Play” is Spielbergian in how it assumes a child’s perspective, as well as its empathy for the outcast and masterful maintaining of tension. As for the monster, which in this case haunts smart devices, the way it’s portrayed and the sparse techniques Chase utilizes are straight out of the Kent rulebook. It’s sillier than either of those master’s works, mind you, but when it gets things right, it’s aces.
Oliver (Azhy Robertson) is an autistic young boy, who sees a therapist to get him through his tumultuous childhood. He communicates through his cellphone, using shapes for words. When he inadvertently summons a creature that he brought on via cellphone in the middle of the night, he tells his mom Sarah (Gillian Jacobs) about it by clicking on symbols on his screen. The other kids at school are jealous that he gets to use his phone all the time, consequently bullying poor Oliver.
“Is dad gone?” Oliver asks the otherworldly being in his device. “Yes,” comes the shocking reply, before it introduces itself as Larry, also an outcast, who just wants to play. When the bullies come over to his house for a sleepover, Larry is summoned again. “What the hell kind of app is this?” One of the bullies proclaims hilariously. It ain’t no app, as he’s about to discover. Sarah soon discovers Larry herself. She makes a refreshingly wise decision to leave the house — as opposed to staying and confronting the beast, like most heroes in her situation would do.
Azhy Robertson provides a committed performance as the lonely Oliver, convincingly portraying his growth as he has to face his deepest fears. Gillian Jacobs is a fantastic, underrated actress and here gets a few moments to shine, as does John Gallagher Jr. as Sarah’s boyfriend-slash-potential-new-daddy. It’s refreshing to see a horror film that’s at least somewhat character-based, as opposed to simply relying on old tropes.
“Come Play” doesn’t manage to skirt by all clichés and blemishes. It definitely contains its share of cheap shock tactics (doorknobs turn ominously, light bulbs burst, characters take their time walking down long hallways). There are some plot holes and inconsistencies (e.g. Sarah doesn’t wonder about all the lights going out in her house until the second time it happens; why would the adults deem a sleepover with obvious bullies a good idea?). But it’s an assured piece of filmmaking from a writer/director who has big things on the horizon (the fact that he can direct children so well speaks volumes). Curl up under the blanket, turn off the lights, and enjoy.
In Select Theaters Friday, October 30th
