"WHEN IT RAINS IN LA" (2025) Floods Us With A Watered Down Script And A Barely Simmering Sense Of Horror (REVIEW)
One thing that New Yorkers and Los Angelenos have in common is that both folks know what it’s like to live in a city that has been glamorized by film and television. Sure, there are plenty of films that show how awful those places can be, but there are just as many that celebrate the more toxic elements as part of the “culture.” One major difference between the two is the weather. While NYC often gets the range of four full seasons, LA is seemingly perpetually stuck in Spring/Summer. Sure, there is rain and it gets cold in the winter, but that rain isn’t as frequent as it used to be and when it does come it can wreak havoc on the freeways and those LA drivers. Rain in LA is central to the latest thriller from Gravitas Ventures, “When It Rains In LA.” From Director David M. Parks and Writer John Sillup, does this rainy horror flick give us something to shiver about?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Following an Eastern European girl's escape from trauma, she goes on a vacation with friends, where she confronts her unresolved past and the consequences of her relocation.
HOW IS IT?
Much like many of the people who flock to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, “When It Rains In LA” is somewhat misguided. On one hand, it presents itself as a hyper-stylized Lifetime-esque drama film about a dead sugar daddy and the lover he leaves behind, but on the other hand, it is a slasher film with Giallo sensibilities. Normally, this kind of coupling would net something weirdly entertaining, but “When It Rains In LA” unfortunately fails to capitalize on the drama or the horror effectively enough to create a cohesive whole. What starts as heavy melodrama quickly pivots into thriller territory, but the thrills come far too late to latch onto any remaining interest the viewer has in where the story is going.
“When It Rains In LA” opens with Sasha (Monroe Cline) discovering the body of her dead sugar daddy (Eric Roberts) who mysteriously received both divorce papers and an indigenous mask right before his passing. As any grieving lover would, Sasha departs the luxury of her European abode for the comforts of her friends in LA to help make sense of her next steps. Hot on her trail are two mysterious figures, Anna (Leslie Stratton) and William (Mike Ferguson) who also may be the same people behind the mysterious phone calls Sasha and her friends are receiving while it just so happens to be raining in LA. What follows is mostly a romantic drama as Sasha gets closer to the lovestruck pilot from her flight, Harry (Tom Gipson) until Anna and William do a home invasion on Sasha and her friends. If you’re already kinda confused, don’t worry, we were too. There is so much going on in “When It Rains In LA” that it is often hard to remember what the story is and why what we are seeing matters. Seemingly more concerned with the lives of Sasha and her friends, who represent some of the most awful and clichéd folks you’re likely to find in Los Angeles, than any sort of cohesive plot “When It Rains In LA” stumbles to a conclusion that is both unearned and underwhelming.
The problems with “When It Rains In LA” stem from the script, which we say with all due respect feels like it was written in a day. The characters are unlikeable and unsympathetic, and the movie isn’t sure whether it wants to be a drama or a horror movie while doing a paltry job at both. The saving grace comes from Monroe Cline’s performance and Eastern European accent, but even she doesn’t have enough to grasp onto to make this compelling. Take the mask concept that kicks off the start of the film, it doesn’t evolve beyond a gimmick and even then is only obvious to those paying attention. There is one death scene that is truly squirm-inducing, but like tripping over one's shoelaces the filmmakers decide to not show it in favor of letting one’s imagination run wild. This wouldn’t be an issue if the film had other legs to stand on, but the horror doesn’t really happen until the last 15 minutes and even then it feels rushed to a conclusion. Oh, and the titular rain in the title is really just window dressing and has little to do with the events that transpire. In this way, the rain really sums up the biggest fault with “When It Rains In LA,” ideas without substance. We are led to believe that the rain is somehow bringing bad vibes with it when all of what occurs could’ve easily happened when it was dry (and does as many scenes have digital rain effects added in). Just like the horror elements, which feel tacked on to classify this as a genre film, the rain is superficial and adds nothing to the narrative aside from something to moisten this dried-out thriller.
LAST RITES
Despite some astoundingly high ratings on IMDB, “When It Rains In LA” is as hollow and shallow as some of the characters it puts on screen with a story that is underbaked and a script that fails to deliver the horror or the drama adequately enough to be recommended.
THE GORY DETAILS
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Where can you watch it?
“When It Rains In LA”is available now on all PVOD platforms!
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