Horror movies have always served as a vehicle for the current dangers of the world. Jason would go after the teenagers that would have premarital relations. Jigsaw would go after people that suffered from addictions among other things. The Leprechaun would punish people that stole his gold. Bruce the Shark killed dudes that didn’t have bigger boats.
It looks like the Hulu original Grimcutty is following the trend by bringing awareness to online toxicity and dangerous internet challenges. Released Oct. 10, 2022, the movie follows a teenage girl and her little brother as they try to stop a terrifying internet meme that has been brought to life by the hysteria of their parents.
Since this film was released just a few days ago, I won’t be going through my play-by-play style of review. This is one of those good ole spoiler free reviews. Enjoy!
The first thing I’ll say about this film is that the messages are pretty heavy handed. However, this acts as a focus for the film and keeps the plot from wavering. The script is clean in that it doesn’t have a lot of unnecessary plot lines and characters that muddy the waters.
The idea that a meme, challenge, or other internet idea can become a supernatural killer isn’t an original basis for a film. Slenderman (2018) did it horribly. Writer and Director John Ross utilized the idea to make Grimcutty a pretty interesting watch.
Let’s talk about the Grimcutty monster. The design of the monster is comically bizarre. He looks like an AI drawing of what Gru would look like if Tim Burton did Despicable Me. Having said all that, it actually works in the favor of the film. Yes, it’s hokey looking, but it’s supposed to be a creation of the internet.
I think this is one of those rare films that both parents and teenagers could benefit from watching together. I say that because the morale of the story is that parents need to chill out and realize that their children aren’t stupid enough to eat Tide pods or cook chicken in Benadryl. And children need to realize that parents just want what’s best for them so don’t do stupid stuff to make the parents question their trust.
Overall, I liked this film. It’s just spooky enough and it’s got a decent message to it. An overbearing message sure, but a decent one. When done correctly, I think Horror movies can tackle the hard subjects in a way that is relatable to the viewers.
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