"Where the Scary Things Are" addresses a lot in a relatively compact 93-minute run time. It takes the notion of the horror genre as our most fertile artistic arena for articulating real-world fears and holds a mirror to the kids (and grownups) who inhabit our modern-day society. It's a "monster movie" where there's a literal monstrous Other (in this case, an urban legend known as "Lockjaw") that is besieged by the whims of some particularly monstrous teenagers looking for cheap thrills.
Depictions of bored, amoral youth seeking the social-media spotlight often suffer from sledgehammer-subtle depictions of youth and out-of-touch depictions of social media. When films commenting on the corrosive effects of social media are good, they are very good: think "Ingrid Goes West"; "Like Me"; or last year's "Bodies Bodies Bodies." Each of these efforts are keyed into the boredom and delusion that play into depictions of online celebrity.
(Read the rest of my review over at Movies, Films & Flix.)
Depictions of bored, amoral youth seeking the social-media spotlight often suffer from sledgehammer-subtle depictions of youth and out-of-touch depictions of social media. When films commenting on the corrosive effects of social media are good, they are very good: think "Ingrid Goes West"; "Like Me"; or last year's "Bodies Bodies Bodies." Each of these efforts are keyed into the boredom and delusion that play into depictions of online celebrity.
(Read the rest of my review over at Movies, Films & Flix.)