One of the most exciting things about being a movie fan—and especially a horror fan—is seeing an actor you’re familiar with make a random, though totally worthwhile, pivot into horror. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s sort of like, “Hey, you’re a secret little freak like me.” This year, Neon will be distributing the Finn Wolfhard co-directed Hell of a Summer. Oh, and remember when comedian Jay Baruchel traumatized me with Random Acts of Violence? Now one of the best underseen examples is streaming.
I love it when performers I’d never suspect as horror fans land on the scene with so much success. One of the most surprising arrivals, just as I was fully enmeshing myself in the genre, came courtesy of Joel Edgerton. Edgerton has had a storied career tracing all the way back to the Star Wars prequels, and in the 2010s, he snagged two of this generation’s best performers for a psychological thriller unlike any other. Now, the hidden Blumhouse gem is streaming on Paramount+, and it’s a gift worth checking out.
Per Paramount+: Psychological thriller starring Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall as a young married couple whose life is going just as planned until they have a chance encounter with an acquaintance who sends their world into a harrowing tailspin.
First, let’s talk about Rebecca Hall. She’s one of this generation’s fiercest talents, elevating everything from Night House to Resurrection, and her paranoia throughout The Gift will have you clutching your armrests. Edgerton and Jason Bateman are excellent, too, with both regularly veering between menacing and likable with such aplomb that you won’t quite be sure who to trust.
At the time of release, The Gift was an unqualified success. While it didn’t exactly set the summer box office on fire in 2015, it did emerge as one of Blumhouse’s greatest critical hits. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Gift has a critic score of 91%, with a consensus that reads, “The Gift is wickedly smart and playfully subversive, challenging the audience’s expectations while leaving them leaning on the edges of their seats.”
Double-feature with Sam Rami’s The Gift, when? While you might have missed The Gift when it was first released, I encourage you to check it out now. It doesn’t seem that long ago, but remember when studios were releasing psychological thrillers by adults, for adults, pretty regularly? I remember, and I wish it was still happening. I just want to watch people menaced by handsome actors on the big screen!
What do you think? Any plans to check out The Gift now that the film is streaming? If you’re already a fan, plan to catch it again? Let me know either way over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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