PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Shadow in the Cloud Synopsis
In the throes of World War II, Captain Maude Garrett joins the all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude’s every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. But this crew has more to fear…lurking in the shadows, something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane. Trapped between an oncoming air ambush and an evil lurking within, Maude must push beyond her limits to save the hapless crew and protect her mysterious cargo.
Shadow In The Cloud is a joint venture from Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment. Roseanne Liang (Do No Harm) directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Max Landis (Bright). It was produced by Tom Hern, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Kelly McCormick, and Fred Berger. The cast includes Chloë Grace Moretz (Let Me In, Suspiria (2018), Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith, Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall, Joe Witkowski, and Byron Coll.
Here’s a look at the poster art!
The Fool’s Errand
Shadow In The Cloud opens with a wonderful, stylized World War II era animated PSA that sets the tone for the film nicely. From there we join Captain Maude Garrett (Chloë Grace Moretz) as she walks a foggy airfield searching for her plane. She boards the B-17, aptly named The Fool’s Errand, carrying a top secret satchel and orders to join the crew. The all male, crew, I should add. The superstitious, misogynistic, all male crew that’s none to happy to have a woman in uniform board their plane. The tension is instant, and the misogyny is palpable. You know from the start there’s going to be trouble.
Soon the plane is airborne, and that’s when the trouble really starts. A literal storm is brewing. Visibility is minimal. Garrett finds herself locked in the belly tailgunner cockpit, alone. She starts seeing strange things in the sky, and out on the exterior of the plane. Are they real? Is it her imagination? The crew certainly think’s she’s cracking up.
As the storm builds and the tensions rise, all hell breaks loose, and Garrett finds herself at odds with both the crew and a mysterious creature that’s attacking the plane. Can she escape? Will the crew survive? What’s in the satchel? It all plays out nicely in rapid fire fashion. You can trust me when I say, when the hour and seventeen or so minutes is up, it’s been one crazy assed ride!
What’s To Like?
Chloë Grace Moretz’s solid, versatile performance is the centerpiece of this film. Her character is front and center from the word go, and the first third of the film is essentially a one woman show. Fortunately, she is more than up to the task. She draws you in with her toughness and her vulnerability en route to what is likely the most wide-ranging role of her young career. The rest of the cast forms a solid, if not exceptionally notable supporting ensemble. You don’t really have time to get invested in them, however, as this is one hundred percent Chloë’s show.
I love the pulpy look and feel to this film. It starts with the opening animated short, and carries throughout. You can tell this isn’t a big budget production, but the crew really makes the most of what they have. The creature looks pretty cool, and the visual FX and stunts are also really well done.
Shadow In The Cloud is a pretty unique horror concept. It takes a lot of cool elements and blends them together well. You’ve got some mystery, some isolation, some superstition, and a bunch of crazy action, all wrapped up in a creature feature set in a World War II time capsule. Wonderful! Movies like this don’t come along every day.
What’s Not To Like?
This movie is wild. I mean crazy, bonkers, over the top wild.. So much so, there are going to be people who just throw up their arms in disbelief and say “OH COME ON!” I, personally, loved how batshit it was, but this absurd, physics defying action style is not going to sit well with everyone. If you watched the trailer, you probably got a taste of the craziness I’m referring to. That’s nothing. It really does go all the way to 11. I dug it. You might not. To fully enjoy this movie, you will have to invest yourself in Chloë Grace Moretz as a larger than life action super hero.
The script is a bit heavy handed and there are some other iffy twists and turns here that I won’t spoil that will likely leave a lot of people scratching their heads. You’ve been warned.
Shadow In The Cloud – Final Thoughts
I had a blast with Shadow In The Cloud. It’s an old school creature feature and a balls-to-the-wall action movie wrapped into one, with girl power to spare! If you like crazy, physics-defying action and historical horror, I think you’ll have a blast, too. Is it perfect? No. But it’s a ton of pulpy fun. My advice? Go in with an open mind, expect complete, nonsensical batshittery, have fun, and enjoy the ride!
