[Film Review] Cobweb (2023)

For many, there are few things as potentially horrifying as a child in peril. Children are vulnerable compared to most adults, and that vulnerability makes any possible danger heightened. This is especially true when the child is removed from aid or caretakers who might be able to protect them, and if you mix in horrors of the more real-life variety of control and abuse, it can make for an eerie and uncomfortable experience. This kind of feeling is very much at the forefront of Cobweb, the first feature film from Samuel Bodin, known for the spooky Netflix series Marianne. 

Peter (Woody Norman) is a shy and withdrawn young boy living under the strict eyes of his overbearing parents Carol (Lizzy Caplan) and Mark (Anthony Starr). At night he hears knocking from the walls of his bedroom, which his parents insist is nothing but his imagination. The only person who seems to have Peter’s interests at heart is his new teacher, Miss Devine (Cleopatra Coleman). But as he tries to uncover the truth behind the knocking, the real danger might be closer than he thinks.

LISTEN TO OUR HORROR PODCAST!

There is nothing subtle about this film. That is in no way an insult, as there are many great horror films that aren’t in any way subtle, Malignant immediately springs to mind. Whilst there is mystery to the film in terms of the unfolding story it’s not interested in hiding the horror from you or making it ambiguous. In many ways, particularly in its simplicity of approach, Cobweb is a children’s horror story. Children’s horror is frequently centred around home or school, on making those normal and safe spaces unsafe by an invasion of something other, and that’s what is presented here. It feels like a more violent and intense version of the Point Horror novels, especially with its themes of childhood fear and growth. In addition to this, the film is set at Halloween and there are plenty of pumpkins and autumn vibes on display, which feels appropriate. The wonderfully atmospheric visuals are courtesy of cinematographer Phillip Lozano, who uses the space of the house really well to deliver some interesting and at times beautiful shots, but also tense and claustrophobic ones as well. 

That said, the script by Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022’s Chris Thomas Devin isn’t anything overly remarkable. There is some extremely leading dialogue in the first half of the film that even if you’re only slightly paying attention you’ll be able to figure out how it might come back into play later. However, if you suss out early on what is actually happening to Peter, there is still a certain tension to seeing how the dominos are going to fall and I wouldn’t say it detracts from the movie watching experience.

The cast is all-round good, Woody Norman carries Peter’s story with a sweet sincerity and Cleopatra Coleman is really the heart of the film as the teacher of the year here. It all could have fallen apart though if they didn’t get the casting just right for Peter’s parents, and thankfully they did. Lizzy Caplan is the standout with a changeable mood that can turn on a pin, but that’s not to discount Anthony Starr’s unease-inducing presence. Often when they’re on screen you feel as though you’re just a hair's breadth away from something terrible happening. Their treatment of Peter doesn’t help; at times smothering and overprotective, at others harsh and distant. There are certainly a lot of unanswered questions about Peter’s parents, and a few more answers would have been appreciated in general, but if you take the film as being from Peter’s POV then it’s easier to let go. We don’t know because he doesn’t. 

 In horror, for the majority of the time nightmares exist as easy scares which don’t have to be necessarily relevant to the rest of the film. The one here though gets a pass due to being genuinely unnerving, and Lizzy Caplan doing her best Babadook impression might possibly feature in my own nightmares. 

The third act does get a bit silly, but it also has what I think is one of the film’s creepiest images. The film also maybe would have benefitted from showing a bit less, as sometimes giving us too good of a look at the horror can severely lessen its effect and that will be the case here for many. That said, it ends on a very paranoia-inducing note, designed to make you glance at the dark corners of your room in the night. A little cheesy maybe, but it feels right for this story.

Is Cobweb something ground-breaking with new and exciting ideas? Not particularly, but it is a horror movie to watch when you are looking for something that isn’t too taxing plot wise and you want spooky rather than scary because sometimes that’s all a movie needs to be. Cobweb would be an ideal film to sit and enjoy with a group of friends at a Halloween party.

RELATED ARTICLES

---