Shut In [Review]

After a terrible car accident leaves her stepson in a state of catatonia and her husband dead, Mary has a lot on her plate. Her day-to-day cyclic routine consists of waking up and taking care of her son, followed by clocking in at a child psychiatric office across from her house in rural Maine. At work, she encounters Tom, a young and orphaned deaf boy. After discovering they are about to move him to another state, Tom is invited to stat at Mary’s house. But before she has a chance to help, Tom runs away and disappears into the stormy night. With the storm escalating, Mary can’t help but assume the worst, and she slowly begins to unravel as she starts to see and feel Tom around the house.

Most of director Farren Blackburn’s work is in the world of television. And while his resume in TV is quite impressive, his second feature film leaves plenty of room for improvement. It’s not entirely bad, but with some questionable camera work, it’s difficult to praise. There are; however, some beautiful shots peppered throughout. The major pitfall is SHUT IN‘s ludicrous and implausible writing. This is Christina Hodson’s first rodeo, and it’s a rough one. At a run time of an hour and a half, the opening act’s inactivity simply cripples the film from a pacing perspective. For a movie that is being advertised as a drama/thriller, there are surprisingly few attempts at jump scares. And while you can tell that Hodson made a great effort to create a tense environment, it ultimately fails to deliver. That said, the obligatory “twist” did catch me off guard, so kudos for pulling that off. Had the preceding bits been as well-executed, we might have a different film on our hands. 

But even when Shut In‘s opportunities outweigh its successes, there’s no denying the fantastic performances turned in by this cast. Naomi Watts is no stranger to genre films. She’s been in big titles such as The Ring and Funny Games, so when it comes to this particular film, she hits the nail on the head while portraying the stressed-out mother. And she isn’t alone. Charlie Heaton of Stranger Things will restore your hope in young actors. He has very few lines throughout the film but manages to stand out–even as a catatonic character.

Shut In has a lot of potential, but the writing has a domino effect on every other aspect of the film preventing it from reaching its full potential. All of the cogs are there, but they simply aren’t aligned properly. If The Boy and The Babadook were your cup of tea, then this is still worth a one time watch–even if it’s severely watered down. My advice? Wait for Netflix.

Shut In is in theaters now.