Now on Shudder: The Apology
Every horror fan knows that Shudder is the best spot for horror movies on the whole internet. Each month they release tons of classic movies and hidden gems plus a slew of exclusives and original films. Way back in the VHS days, choices were limited but in the age of the internet there are so many movies to watch it can get overwhelming leaving us with just one question before spending two hours on a film and that is:
“Is it any good?”
The most recent Shudder Exclusive is The Apology, here’s what the synopsis tells us:
Trapped with her ex-brother-in-law by a dangerous storm, a recovering alcoholic finds herself caught between reason and ruthless instinct as a battle of wits escalates into a violent game of revenge.
So….is it any good? eh…Maybe?
So, the synopsis is a little bit deceiving, I’ll try to sort that out. Yes, she is trapped with her ex-brother-in-law by a dangerous storm but the recovering alcoholic bit gives this story a bit of injustice. Darlene, played by Ann Gun, is a recovering alcoholic but she got sober 19 years before the events of the movie. I get that recovery never ends and it’s an ongoing process but she would be better described as; a woman whose daughter disappeared mysteriously. Reading the synopsis about her being an alcoholic is kinda boring, but knowing that her daughter disappeared mysteriously, INTRIGUE!!!
When asked, is it any good? The reason I say “maybe it is” is because for me, it wasn’t great, but it might be a better fit for you. I watched a ton of movies, 428 to be exact at the time of writing this review, and sometimes this is a bad thing because I know where the movie is going. Sometimes it’s okay, but with The Apology they telegraph their bunch, alot. So, it’s Christmas, there’s a storm and the ex-brother-in-law Jack shows up. He hasn't seen Darlene in 19 years about the same time she got sober and one year after her daughter Sally went missing and one of the first things he asks is, “if you found who took her, would you kill them or be forgiving” and you're immediately like, “Oh, Jack had something to do with this huh?” and yeah, he did but it’s not a spoiler as this is revealed about 15 minutes into the movie and the aforementioned “battle of wits” begins to play out on screen.
Just because you can see what’s coming a mile away doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable. It’s a very good cat and mouse game that Darlene and Jack play which focuses heavier on dialogue than action, which is great because usually these movies are just a lady running through a house screaming while the killer is stalking close behind. The dialogue-heavy nature of this film lets us explore the characters a bit further and we see them as more than just a screaming woman and a stalking killer. Don’t get me wrong, it is a horror movie and we get some of that slasher style stalking but it’s very brief before we get back to the fireside chat with Jack and Darlene.
It’s Christmas time so let’s make this review festive, shall we? Remember when you were a kid and you snuck into the attic and you found all the Christmas toys your parents bought and they got you EXACTLY what you asked for so you’re super hype but it’s December 8th and you have to wait a whole 16 days for Christmas and then Christmas comes and you are just sitting by the tree in your festive pajamas and you can see something wrapped in the exact shape of the thing you wanted most but you have to sit there and wait while your brother opens his Pokémon toys or whatever and you finally get that perfect toy and you have to fake act surprised but you’ve already played out like 40 scenarios in your head how you would play with the perfect toy so even though it’s awesome you’re kinda “meh” about it…
That’s this movie. For me at least. Maybe you will absolutely love it, so give it a shot.
