PopHorror Let's Get Scared
It seems that children adventure movies have found their home lately as a popular sub-genre in the horror community. There’s something nostalgic about a group of young best friends who have to grow up swiftly in the presence of some otherworldly evil, and that’s the kind of feeling that Where The Scary Things Are taps into. Marketed as “Stand By Me meets The Goonies,” this movie packs a lot into its ninety-four minute runtime. In the vein of Summer of ’84 (read our review here), it’s a film that takes you on the ride through adolescent eyes.
Let’s take a look at what works and what doesn’t in Where The Scary Things Are and see if it lives up to those lofty comparisons.
B. Harrison Smith (Camp Dread 2014) wrote and directed Where The Scary Things Are. It stars Oliver Givens (All I Want For Christmas 2021), Peter Cote (High School Crimes & Misdemeanors TV Series 2020), Selina Flanscha (The Night Time World 2021), and several others. The plot follows six friends who are working on an urban legend project for school. As some of them grow hungry for internet superstardom, they come across a creature who’s even hungrier…for humans. One of the things that this film nails is the societal look at what the desire for popularity and fame can turn a person into.
As these kids continue to hold the camera when a massacre unfolds in front of them, it begs the question, “which ones are the true monsters?” For a movie that’s aimed at a slightly younger audience, this film doesn’t shy away from portraying their peers in a realistically attention-seeking light.
As their fame rises, we see the morality tale spinning internally in each of the kids’ minds. The creature provides a bit of mystery and a cool design, as we’re left to wonder what will make him cross the line. The basement of an old haunt provides a nice enclosed location for the action, while the kids do a solid job of building tension while they bring their victims to their potential demise.
Where The Scary Things Are doesn’t always seem to go far enough with its themes though. Each character has some traits to their personalities, but we never get to see these traits come up with any real stakes. This movie explores the ideas of fear, sexuality, and chasing fame, while we don’t get to spend a lot of time with these important themes as viewers. It’s also hard to figure out to root for in the final act, as there aren’t many characters who’ve built up good will with us by the conclusion. With a few pacing issues in the middle of the film, it would’ve been rewarding for us to see more unsure vulnerability between the friends as the situation got more serious.
But all in all, Where The Scary Things Are does a nice job of taking us on a journey as these everyday kids come face-to-face with the dark price of fame. This film teaches us that our actions have consequences and that humanity is more important than viral success. If you’d like to check out this fun children’s adventure horror film, it’s coming to DVD and digital release on June 28th.
