“OLD STRANGERS” (2022) SHOWS US THAT WE CAN STILL ENJOY LAUGHS AND GOOD SCARES DURING THE PANDEMIC
Ah the good old days. It seems that is what everyone talks about lately with the crazy and insane world that we live in now. Most people over 30 years old yearns for the ’90s since it is a happy place compared to the pandemic lifestyle we are all living in currently. Politics, cancel culture and all that increasingly depressing stuff have made it hard for us to enjoy the simple things. Sunday dinner with the family strolls through the mall and even just sitting in the coffee shop doing nothing seems almost impossible these days. People have had to make do with what they have and think back on the things or people they miss.
It’s one of the biggest reasons why movie fans (especially horror movie fans) are watching anything they can get their hands on. Going back to the great classics and ones we have seen a million times, to the new releases that are out there to enjoy. We live in a world where we want to devour content and want it now. Even with the pandemic movies are being pumped out, available to stream exclusively on some platforms, and getting early Blu-Ray release dates just so people can enjoy the next good movie for whatever night is ahead of them. We also live in quite the “instant gratification” type of culture where we have everything available to us at our fingertips.
Endless amounts of movies, TV shows, and music are available to us. While we think we do have it hard, there are still ways to enjoy things with our friends and family. Movies will always be the great escape that keeps us sane and keeps us smiling. Horror movies always is a way for me personally to enjoy life during all the craziness. Sure, I miss the good old days from time to time like anyone else, but who doesn’t want to watch a good horror flick with the main characters running for their lives in a campground or having to deal with a sadistic killer on everyone’s favorite spooky holiday?
Recently I got a chance to watch “Old Strangers” from Gravitas Ventures. This movie stars Ted Evans, Madeline Humphries, and Colton Eschief Mastro as three friends reunite to take some time to go on vacation during the pandemic. This is a classic blend of horror and comedy. The first half feels like a buddy comedy with the three friends Michael (Ted Evans), Sarah (Madeleine Humphries), and Danny (Colton Eschief Mastro) deciding to rent a cabin, smoke a little weed, and share in some laughs after months of separation due to COVID. It does take that fun “cabin in the woods” horror movie trope and runs with it. Things go smoothly for the group as they bond over a fire pit, pass some weed around and laugh about how nice it is to finally get outside. They even enjoy a hike to immerse themselves in as much fresh air as they can.
Things (as they always do in a horror movie) take a turn for the worse when the trio runs across a ton of weird cocoons/bugs nest-looking things that seem to be all over the remaining parts of the woods. One of my favorite scenes in this movie is when Michael decides to get meta and tells Danny after he touches one of the weird cocoons that “If this is a horror movie you’re dying first”. By far one of the best lines I have heard in a horror movie lately. This becomes somewhat of an odd coincidence later in the movie (no spoilers but it is quite good when you think back on this line towards the final act of the movie).
Things start turning a bit into a weird “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” feel with how Danny acts after being stung by one of the cocoons and randomly wanders in the woods in the middle of the night. The next morning Sarah and Michael go looking for him as they are alarmed that he is missing when they wake up. The two spend most of the day searching the woods for him and by the time it gets dark, they decide to call it a day and go back to the cabin. To their astonishment, Danny ends up in the living room and warming up near the fire. Naturally, they both get pissed off at him until they hear the moaning of pain coming from outside. They go out to investigate to find a bloody man asking for help. The man is shown to be suffering from a huge gash in his forearm. They call the police to get some help and Michael has a weird moment with the officer while everyone goes outside (you’ll see what I mean when you watch it).
Like the usual norm with horror movies, things start to get very intense in the third act when Danny starts to randomly choke Michael after hearing that he and Sarah are dating. Sarah and Michael end up getting in an argument having Sarah walk away when things go too far due to Michael overstepping a boundary. She wakes up the next morning in the car to find blood all over the place in Michael’s room and bed. She goes out looking for him but is soon chased by Danny. Now I won’t ruin the ending for you on this, but it is insane and came out of nowhere. Granted there are a few breadcrumbs left there for us to discover. The reasoning behind the change in Danny and all the bloodshed is an odd one but made me wish there was more explanation to it. Even so, the ending leaves you to wonder what will happen next with the file frame of the movie.
My final thoughts about this are that it went above my expectations from my initial viewing of the trailer. Granted trailers do leave a bit more to the imagination compared to watching the movie but I will say I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. The comedic timing between the actors made you laugh along with them, and you could truly feel a friendship there. It is moments like this in a movie that makes me feel that they had a fun time on the set of the movie. This is also proven by the post-credits and some behind-the-scenes looks at the filmmaking process. I definitely would recommend this movie not just for the fun horror elements, but also the well-written dialogue between the main characters and also the way the first half just gives off the “buddy comedy” feels.
“Old Strangers” from Gravitas Ventures is now available on VOD. Be sure to get your copy and enjoy the movie for yourself.
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