Chronicles in film

In the era when CGI does virtually everything in film, we enjoy it when horror returns to basics for its scares. The film marks Samuel Bodin‘s feature-length debut, whom people may have seen in his chilling, freaky French horror series Marianne, a Netflix series some have called ‘one of the scariest.

Cobweb does indeed have many of the same tropes as the aforementioned series, this time from a child rather than a washed-out writer.In a place that not all what it seems.

The film stars Woody Norman, whom people will know from the 2021 indie comedy C’Mon C’Mon, where he starred alongside Joaquin Phoenix. He plays Peter, and we meet him a week before Halloween. He’s awakened during the night by nightmares and noises, including knocks on the wall. The latter scares Peter a lot, and he runs to his parents’ room to tell them.It’s his mother, Carol (played by Lizzy Caplan), who answers his worry and tells him, like any parent would, “everything is alright,” and tucks him back into bed.

The following day, we learn that Peter is a very quiet boy, having a tough time with no friends. To make things worse, he’s been bullied.Later that night, the knocks come back, and now a young girl speaks to Peter. She is asking him for his help, and she’ll be his friend. Before he can do anything, his father, Mark (The Boys star Antony Starr), shuts down everything, telling him that everything is just in his imagination.

His parents try to dissuade Peter from going out for Halloween, telling him the story of a young girl who went missing locally on the same night.At school, Peter’s new substitute, Miss Devine (Cleopatra Colman), notices how quiet he is, and a certain painting triggers warning signs.

The girl’s voice pushes Peter to fight back against the bullies to the point where he is expelled from school. To his parents’ anger, they lock him up in the secret basement to make him reflect on what he has done.Before we know it, Peter has released who or what is trapped. Is she who she says she is? To make things worse, the bullies have arrived on his doorstep.

Cobweb is a slow-burner—a stripped-back, basic horror film that thrives on tension-building. The movie has many layers, including the sounds, the tormented child, night terrors, creepy parents, hidden sinister areas, and dark family secrets.

All seen from a child’s perspective. Who will believe Peter? As his parents say throughout the film, their son has an overactive imagination.When the big reveal happens everything is a big disappointment.Playing it safe is the film’s biggest downfall. When the big reveal happens, after all that build up, the final part feels flat and uninspiring.

Do you even wonder if his parents are a figment of that imagination? Caplan is fantastic as Peter’s mum, Carol, ranging from quirky, straight out of the pages of a Roald Dahl book, to unhinged and creepy. Starr seems like he stepped out of the pages of a pulpy 1950s paranoia novel, such as Invaders From Mars or even Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Once again Norman is fantastic.

Cobweb has plenty of atmosphere, and the cinematography brings out the fear of something lurking in the shadows. The psychological moments also work well. If only it were willing to step out of its comfort zone and take more risks, the film might have been a lot more memorable.

★★★

Horror | USA/France, 2023 | 1st September 2023 (UK) | Lionsgate | 15 | Dir. Samuel Bodin | Lizzie Caplan, Antony Starr, Woody Norman, Cleopatra Coleman, Luke Busey