Spiral (2019)★★★★☆

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It’s got the feeling of a slow-burn horror, but it’s reasonably paced and I liked it! It’s not perfect, especially when it comes to some of the reveals, but I genuinely enjoyed it.

I think the issue that took me out of the story the most was that this movie was supposed to take place in Illinois in 1995, but the license plates were from 2001 or later. Honestly, if that’s the biggest issue, I can get over it. It’s just that I lived in Illinois in 1995 so it immediately stuck out to me. And I’m pretty sure they showed them more than just the once.

This movie hinges on the performance of Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman as Malik, and he really pulls it together. I first saw him as Jay in the TV show Unreal, and I liked him then! I felt like his performance really drew me into the story and the characters. I cared about what was going to happen, even as some of the pieces falling into place were a bit obvious.

Also, Lochlyn Munro was in this! I’m pretty sure I first saw him in Dead Man on Campus, but most recently in Margaux. I know he was also in Riverside, and I find I really like him (him, not his characters) in basically everything, so I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him!

This movie is creepy and haunting and a not-very-subtle allegory about otherness and fear of others. It’s a little on the nose at times, but it’s short and the performances are great and I’d still recommend it.