by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
What do you get when you take three young and attractive women spending time in solitude in the Mojave Desert and deliver them to an alien visitor? Just think about the title… then you might realize exactly where this encounter leads our young protagonists. The Seed is a new horror flick that is coming to Shudder. These three young women are all coming from different perspectives and the heightening tensions between them rise as they struggle with how to handle this strange and unwanted visitor. This new horror finds writer-director Sam Walker mixing a cup of alien invasion science fiction, a spoonful of body horror, and a dash of social commentary on narcissistic social media absorption.
How does Walker handle the sci-fi elements of his new film? The most important key of all must be the actual alien creature. Revealed early on, the audience gets the opportunity to process these beings for a great chunk of the film. The design is an odd mix of rodent and demonic looking alien life form. Kind of cute… kind of gross. It only gets worse as it reveals more of itself (which we will get to later). There are some interesting choices made to convey the motivations of this invasion (nothing too surprising there), including some sick visuals that warp the audience into a dark and disturbing atmosphere. The true threat of this creature is revealed in a slightly shocking finale which leaves the audience wondering what will happen next.
But what about the horror elements mixed with the science fiction? This film features plenty of old school body horror mixed with some disturbing abstract horror visuals. When this alien creature becomes… connected with our young leads, there are some strange body elements that manifest. Grotesque and disturbing, they will certainly make your skin crawl! The visuals? Quick edits, eerie music, symbolism. These visuals pack a punch of teasing intentions and straight unnerving its victims (and the audience).
How does Walker layer in themes to this science fiction and horror mash-up? In the early stages of the film, the main characters are an intense representation of social media culture and narcissism. Deidre (Lucy Martin) constantly complains about her lack of access to the internet and how she cannot make money without her influencer work. She constantly needs to be showing off. Heather (Sophie Vavasseur), on the other hand, is consistently just caring about getting cut off by her rich father. Our protagonist, Charlotte (Chelsea Edge), is a working-class girl stuck in this material world. As this creature begins to captivate and seduce our trio, they begin to argue about the economic ramifications of this situation. There might not be tons of depth, but Walker does offer up plenty of thoughts.
Is The Seed worth the stream over on Shudder? Featuring three strong performances from its young leads, this mashup has a good anchor. The narrative might go off into some cliché areas and it might take on too much, but it still serves up a satisfying experience.
Grade: C+
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