Blumhousehas delivered some of the most prominent and well-known post-2000s horror franchises,from theParanormal Activityfilmsto theInsidioussaga&Happy Death Daytwofer, to standalone riveters such asThe Invisible Man,The Vigil,SweetheartandSick.Yet occasionally, a smaller genre flick sporting the distinguished brand darts through the cracks and escapes wider viewership - andCurveis one such film. The name Blumhouse is associated with horror in the classic sense, from revivalist slasher fare tocerebral spine-tinglers— dig deep enough and one unearths some real gems. In spite of the high-profile production company’s name being attached to the 2015 potboiler, it remains relatively unknown despite its late night drive-in cinematic appeal. Its obscurity is a shame, considering its agreeably pulpy thrills and directorIain Softley’s fast-paced approach to a fairly lean, uncomplicated story.
Julianne Houghis an engaging enough lead, andTeddy Searsis an effectively 90s-esque villain in what ultimatelyamounts to a kind ofVacancymeets127 Hoursvehicle.Knifing her way through the Colorado mountains en route to California, the soon-to-be-married (though potentially doubt-ridden)Mallory finds herself quickly imperiled by a disarmingly charming drifter(Sears), when her vehicle experiences a mechanical sputter. A road movie that slams into a psychological horror barrier before caroming into a survival thriller is perhaps the best way to characterizeCurve —and the results are decidedly entertaining. While one might foresee the movie’s destination from a little ways off, the journey there isn’t always predictable, which says a lot of a film whose sole intention is to provide 80-or-so minutes of slamming escapism.
What is ‘Curve’ About?
The road-movie-gone-wrong has been done umpteen times. When executed skillfully, an entertaining time very often results. FromJoy RideakaRoadkilltoSteven Spielberg’smagnificentDuel,it seldom gets more nailbiting than beingpursued by a nigh faceless motorist while the landscape swallows up the screams.Curvedistinguishes itself from the pack in the way it pivots quickly into something a little different, however, leaving the pyscho-stalker trope in a cloud of bitumen for at least a little while. Before long,Curvebegins resembling something more akin to the underratedAdrien BrodymovieWrecked, or 2016’sThe Shallows(sans shark and oceanic setting, of course). Here, our tenacious protagonist Mallory quickly finds herself fighting for life while her primary tormentor is rendered a sideline threat for much of the film’s duration. Hough’s Mallory becomes kind of aJanet Leigh inPsycho, albeit not on the lam with a stash of stolen cash in tow.
She is set to be married, but still seems to be running away from something, or at the very least going on a cross-country dash as a way to ascertainjust how much shewantsher life to change in the way it’s set to. She plunges into a playlist put together by her doting friend (also skeptical about Mallory’s impending marriage) and takes to the open road. Also noteworthy?Curvemay feature the best on-screen usage of Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart” ever. Mallory is a little too trusting of Sears' Christian Laughton’s surface-level innocuousness (as per your home invasion horror) and, after initial reluctance, doubles back to give the stranger a ride to his vaguely described next destination by way of a motel in the next town. After all, he did manage to resuscitate the car from oblivion when it breaks down.
Once inside, the conversation turns awkward, then ultimately threatening (and the way this dynamic builds is a credit to Softle’s grasp at tautening the tension wire). Mallory subsequently does what most (okay a low proportion) would do and drives off a cliff, ensuringherseatbelt is fastened while clocking that Sears' is unbuckled. The cliff dive doesn’t quite hitDuel’s heights, but it’s still visceral. The vehicle crunches its way down a precipice, hurtling past scrub and body-checking boulders before entrapping the desperate Mallory and flinging a bloodied Laughton from the passenger’s seat. See how things take a pretty wild turn? From this point forth,standard stalker fare slides into full-blown survival mode, and the viewer gets a close-up view of Mallory’s mettle under trying, thirsty, foot-crushing conditions. This switch holds its footing for the film’s entire midsection and then some, surely subverting at least a few preconceptions as to where the flick was initially going.
Curve Succeeds as a Survival Tale and as a Gateway Horror Flick
As a horror film,Curvedoesn’t break an enormous amount of ground, and the finale reverts to the crazed stalker horror yarn it threatened to solely be from the beginning, as it’s discovered Laughton’s proclivities have been a long-time thing. For a Friday night thrill, seasoned horror vets can introduce this tame-ish flick to others fairly safely, as it’s more slick than sickening - andmakes for quite a good gateway horror watch. For aficionados of outdoor survival thrillers,Curveis a diverting one at that, as Mallory begins to fade from the world due to a lack of sustenance, the crippling overnight cold and the psychological agony of hearing the traffic on the road way up above motoring past while completely oblivious to her desperate plight. Blumhouse is known as a bit of a juggernaut on the franchise front, but spotted throughout its deceptively diverse filmography are a number of smaller-scale actioners that warrant a watch (or two).Curveis one such film.
Hough’s sturdy portrayal of the fallible but determined Mallory makes her a character to root for, whileThe Flash’s Sears makes for an imposing villain, his menacing baritone admonitions delivered from taunting vantage points in and around the upturned car, (wrongly) convinced he will forever have the upper hand. As the ants swarm and before the floodwaters arrive (they do), you’ll be pretty well swept up by the simplistic appeal ofCurve,a flick which successfully enmeshes standard psychological horror and survival thriller.
Curveis streaming now on Prime in the U.S.
