PopHorror Let's Get Scared
The Black String is a haunting 2018 horror film that combines the paranormal, cults, and the fears of sex. Erotic thrillers have been around since time began, but David Cronenberg popularized them in the ’70s with hits like Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977), which spotlighted the true dangers of contamination through penetration. The Black String picks up where Cronenberg left off, keeping you guessing about the main character’s fate right to the coda scene.
The Black String was directed by Brian Hanson (in his directorial debut) and co-written by Hanson and Richard Handley (Closure 2015). The story centers around awkward Jonathan, played marvelously by Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle TV series). Jonathan is socially inept and stuck at a dead-end job, until he comes across a singles hotline to curb his loneliness. What follows is a descent into madness as the young man feels like he’s being stalked by an evil entity. It’s up to the viewer to figure out if it’s all in our protagonist’s mind, or if something is truly lurking in the shadows. The use of flashbacks puts you in a mind-altering state and creates empathy for Jonathan, as Dena (Chelsea Edmundson: 14 Cameras 2018) shines with a haunting sultriness. Jonathan’s dreams are impeded by a cacophony of macabre visions, as he tries to piece together his thoughts and his life after his impactful meeting with Dena.
This film winds through many antagonists and keeps the audience on its toes. We’re unclear whether it’s a ghost, a demon, a cult, or the act of sex itself/*- that’s to be feared here. There’s a social statement to be made here in the vein of It Follows (2015 – read our review here), where the character’s decision opens the floodgates and lets the evil seep in. As if that wasn’t enough natural terror, the underlying bellow of a plotting cult adds another layer into this pot of madness. Psychological horror is very tough to balance, as pacing normally becomes an issue. But here, the empathy and the characters are written well enough that it doesn’t feel lagging or tedious.
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The tension in The Black String hits in the right moments, and the cinematography does its job in creating a gritty and unbalanced atmosphere. The background characters are written with realistic dialogue, and each make you believe in their story with their screen-time. Different viewers may be left with different questions at the end of this mental gymnastic exercise, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
