by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
What is the age-old strategy to rack up tension in a horror-thriller? Make your main character (and the audience) feel like they are going crazy. Things always start out normal and functioning, but suddenly, little moments start to mount. There could be strange noises nobody else hears. Things could possibly move, and you are certain that you left them somewhere else. But the specter is the most common. Someone is there that shouldn’t be. Something is watching that shouldn’t be. Writer-director Andrew Semans runs with this paranoia in the form of Resurrection.
What is the set up for this paranoia-driven descent? Margaret (Rebecca Hall) is a successful woman who has power in her profession. She is a single mom who struggles with her relationship with her teenage daughter. But when David (Tim Roth), a man from her past, shows up at a conference, in a store, sitting outside her work… things get complicated. Margaret’s past floods back into her mind (a dark and twisted one at that). You have experienced this story before. She begins to panic at the sight of this man. She begins to preemptively confront David and tries to get the support of her daughter, “boyfriend”, and the police. But guess what? No one believes her. Up until its final shot, the fear outlasts everything.
But how does Semans make Resurrection stand out? Though it doesn’t always make a lot of sense, he swing for the fences. There is a strange and mythical sense to the baggage that Margaret carries. Her trauma is so out there that even her employee believes it is a joke upon hearing about it. Despite it being unbelievable, it is rooted in grief and loss, which is something the audience can connect with on a deeper level. Semans ratchets up the horror with some impressive visuals and stark lighting. The third act unfortunately quickly spins into something less comprehensible, to the point that it might be hard to process exactly what is going on. Despite great tension and suspense, this film does leave plenty to be desired from a narrative perspective. You might find yourself wanting much more substance by the end of your journey.
Outside of some strong filmmaking, where does Resurrection soar? Hall does it again. After The Night House, Hall joined the conversation of great performances from actresses sadly overlooked in horror films. That conversation should continue with this powerfully emotional and paranoia-driven performance. Every moment she is on screen, her facial expressions and body language create strong and heightening tensions. Roth is creepy to the max in his portrayal of David. Even with a sinister grin, Roth captures the needed tension and unnerving atmosphere to make each of his performances work. Margaret fears him, and the audience can certainly relate.
Even if it doesn’t always come together in the end, does Resurrection deliver a tense genre experience? The film might lack a story and narrative standpoint by the time the credits roll, but the tension and suspense always deliver. The performance elevates what could have been a great film. But in the end, Semans delivers a satisfying experience with plenty of paranoia to spare.
Score: 6/10
You can follow Shane Conto on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd