Hola folks,
This week we are going to talk about one film and one film only. And that film is called Father of Flies. I mentioned it briefly in an older “upcoming horror movies” post, in which I was VERY excited to give it a watch. Admittedly, this film has all the qualities I look for in a good horror flick. The trailer was so ambiguous that I honestly had no idea what it was actually about. And while sometimes this tactic may sway some away from a film. It also had enough trailer scares to make me feel like Father of Flies could be a diamond in the rough.
However, after viewing, I came away with a mixed reaction. On the one hand, it had a few quality jump scares, was shot well, and exuded a perpetual foreboding that permeates the entire tiny setting. But on the other hand, even watching the full film did nothing to erode the vagueness of the plot. In fact, this may be the first film I’ve watched that didn’t really have one. Father of Flies seems to amble on in some ominous direction but with no clear reason for heading there. Instead, the film relies on its uncertainty in the hopes of keeping the viewer in place for a long-awaited big reveal.
The movie dances on the psychological and horror borderline as we move through the new normal of a family unit that no longer has its matriarch in the picture. The father struggles to acclimate his two children to a life without their birth mother while also bringing his new girlfriend into the home. And it is quite clear from the get-go that she doesn’t like kids. But as we begin to paint the portrait of this struggling family, strange things begin to happen around the house. And the reason for why these things begin in the first place… I’ll leave that up to you since I haven’t the faintest.
Perhaps the biggest gripe I have with Father of Flies is the almost haphazard way it strings together events from past and present. I won’t give anything away but once we are catapulted into act three, it certainly begs the question of where we are in time. The seemingly blatant disregard for any plot, combined with this disorienting scene order does more to detract from the film overall.
But I also don’t want to speak too disparagingly of the movie. Director Ben Charles Edwards took a risk in propelling his film forward by pure action as opposed to some overarching end goal. And while it didn’t exactly work for me, other critics have said they enjoyed the fresh take on plot (or lack thereof). And it is not without its moments of true terror. Several scenes in the young boy’s bedroom were especially suspenseful and super creepy. And if you’re a constant reader of this blog, you know that all I really need are some good jump scares to be happy.
Father of flies is one of those films that almost demands a second watch. It’s got all the trappings of a solid horror flick. And I believe that it comes down to preference as far as whether this will be a film you keep going back to or if it falls into the “that was fun but forgettable” bucket. Either way, it’s definitely worth a watch and at the very least, you will be scared.
Anywho, that’s going to do it for me this week folks! Again, I apologize for the sporadic postings but Covid is currently making the rounds through my family. My wife had it, my daughter had it and now I have it. My hope is to be able to post more regularly in the coming weeks but for now, you’re just going to have to bear with me. And we are still interviewing for season two of The Grave! So if you or someone you know has a great ghost story, please send them my way. We’ve already had some great interviews but the more we have the better! As always, thanks for reading, and do stay tuned for some more creepy content.
❤
Josh