MOVIE REVIEW: We go on a wild vacation with horror-comedy 'Get Away'
After fully embracing his dark side in last year’s Black Cab, it’s back to the more familiar territory of horror-comedy for Nick Frost.
Frost’s Richard and his wife Susan (Aisling Bea) and kids Jessie (Maisie Ayres) and Sam (Sebastian Croft) endure more than they bargained for during a family vacation to a remote Swedish island getaway.
Director Steffen Haars, who also teamed up with Frost on last year’s bizarre Krazy House, and scriptwriter Frost are clearly influenced by the likes of The Wicker Man and Midsommar.
And for most of the 86-minute running time Get Away is simply a pastiche of those types of films.
The humour is hit-and-miss. Frost and Bea are proven comedic talents and they do have some funny, kooky dialogue, but they mostly just react to the strange nature of others, with Eero Milonoff’s dead-eyed Matts leading the way in the weird, offbeat stakes.
Nothing is quite as funny as the family’s arrival on the island - and the reception they receive from the locals.
You initially believe Jessie and Sam are the traditional warring siblings but, refreshingly, they begin to get on among the common goal of mocking the islanders, and fending off their portents of doom.
READ MORE: MOVIE REVIEW: We take a trip back in time with horror-comedy 'Y2K'
You can feel the cold air and murky, unwelcoming environment of the island as Haars establishes an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Truthfully, however, his movie would be heading for instantly forgettable territory if it wasn’t for its wild final third.
It transforms everything that has come before and the blood and gore is ratcheted up to hugely intense levels.
The shift comes out of nowhere but makes sense and gives the film more of a reason to exist.
As a result, Get Away is a mixed bag of so-so folk horror parody and surprising, manic blood-letting that makes Haars and Frost’s flick worth the troubled trip.
● Which films do you feel strike the perfect balance between horror and comedy?
Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any movie or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.
Janet Rendall said: “I just finished Back in Action on Netflix and it’s so much fun.
“Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx are good but Glenn Close steals the show.”
● Get Away is available now on Sky Cinema.
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