With horror movies, there hasn’t been something done that hasn’t been done before, and the movie Cobweb knows that is the case, and leans into it with masterful intent.
That is not to say this is a perfect movie by any means, in fact, it has some pretty big plot holes, but that doesn’t take away from any of its momentum, and if this film has anything it has momentum.
If you watched the Netflix horror movie Marianne back in 2019, you will instantly recognize director Samuel Bodin’s penchant for shooting things shaded in the penumbra. He is gifted at showing his audience just enough to get them curious even if the reveal leads to more questions than answers.
In Cobweb there are a lot of things left unanswered, but that is the fun of the film. There is a broadsiding twist about halfway through that doesn’t resolve anything, it only gasses up for the crazy ride that soon follows. There is no time to contemplate logic.
The movie stars Andy Norman as Peter, our eight-year-old hero who lives with his creepy mom and dad in an even creepier house doused by unnatural natural lightning. It is that type of lighting that James Wan is known for, where everything is shaded in gray until whatever menace is exorcised. Then suddenly the sun comes out and the environment is alit with serenity.
Cobweb is a collection of past works. Take a dart board with the names of modern horror directors and throw a flechette at it. Chances are whatever name you stab is someone that Cobweb borrowed from. Even young Peter resembles Danny Llyod from The Shining both in look and circumstance. But he is great here. One wonders how parents would allow such a young child to be put through the horrors he faces throughout the film.
Cobweb has often been compared to Barbarian and that might be a fair assessment. Just like in that film you really never know what is going to happen next, there is no forecast linear path to foresee. It is like a carnival funhouse that twists and turns in the dark, some of the scares make you jump out of your seat while others are broken.
Andy Norman as Peter in Cobweb
Both Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr who play Peter’s mom and dad respectively are so quietly menacing it’s a thrill to watch them figuratively wring their hands with diabolical aplomb. Unfortunately, Starr has done so well as his evil character Homelander in The Boys that even changing his hair color can’t erase that evil grin and therefore fans of the show might get pulled out of the story for a second.
Lizzy Caplan, Andy Norman and Antony Starr in Cobweb
Cleopatra Coleman plays Peter’s teacher, Miss Devine. As her name implies she’s the pure-hearted deuteragonist who tries to figure out what is going on at Peter’s home after he commits an act of violence at school. Coleman doesn’t really have an arc of her own. She mostly sticks her nose where it doesn’t belong, in the kindest of ways, of course. Although she doesn’t have much to do, Coleman still does a great job as the worried interloper.
Andy Norman as Peter in Cobweb
The movie itself is a twisted ride. There is nothing linear about the plot and if you haven’t read any spoilers nothing can prepare you for all the twists and turns. You might be saying, “Well, the poster gives it away,” and you would be half right. The list of producers behind this movie might give you a little insight as to its style: Roy Lee (Barbarian), Andrew Childs (Salem’s Lot), Evan Goldberg (“Preacher”), Seth Rogen (“The Boys”), James Weaver (Joy Ride) and Josh Fagen (Good Boys).
Cobweb is a wonderfully crazy horror movie. It borrows a lot of things from other films, but it does so in a masterful way. You should treat it like a rollercoaster; get in your seat, lean back against the headrest, and grip your lap bars because you’re in for an exhilarating ride that just might go off the rails.
Cobweb is now exclusively in theaters.
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