Dog’s Movie House: “Sick” A “Scream” For The Covid Generation!

“Sick” revolves around a pair of best friends, Parker (Gideon Adlon) and Miri (Bethlehem Million) who are getting together to sit out the quarantine at Parker’s father’s secluded lakeside cabin. The two are a study in the contrasting styles young people reacted to the pandemic. Parker is somewhat glib on the subject, not always wearing her mask and questioning the rules, even going to a pandemic “end of the world” party in defiance of the rules. (An online video of this features heavily in the plot). Miri is the opposite, always wearing her mask and wiping down food and constantly cajoling her friend to take this pandemic seriously. After the two reach the cabin, it isn’t long before they find themselves stalked by a knife-wielding killer who wants them dead for reasons unknown. It becomes a fight for survival as the two girls try to figure out who’s trying to kill them and why!

Director John Hyams film has all the hallmarks of on of the “Scream” movies: a brutal opening kill that seemingly has nothing to do with the rest of the story, smart and observant dialogue from the reliable Williamson, and a couple of plot twists that, while not jaw-dropping, are worth waiting for. What makes this movie memorable is how Williamson and co-writer Katelyn Crabb work the whole Covid pandemic motif into the film. The entire plot of the film revolves around reactions to this virus and it separates “Sick” from other slasher films. There’s even a seen in the movie that will have audience laughing (or groaning depending on your point of view) in which Parker is begging a female motorist for help. The killer is approaching and the driver can see the killer coming, but she won’t let Parker in without a mask. It’s a little too on-the-nose for my taste, but it’s definitely a memorable scene.

The performances are all pretty decent although Adlon’s Parker is a little too glib for my taste. (That’s actually on purpose as Parker’s irresponsible approach to everything from the pandemic to her addiction to social media are all part of her journey. It works for the story but makes Parker a hard character to sympathize with.) Million is more sympathetic as Miri, who finds herself in the crosshairs of a maniac based soley on her association with her best friend. Everyone else is fairly thinly written, including the villains, who exist solely to move the action and plot along.

Overall, “Sick” has enough originality, clever writing, and good old fashioned horror violence to recommend it, but the thin characters and some of the on-the-nose observations about the pandemic keep it from becoming a classic of the genre. Still a good watch though, especially since it’s streaming exclusively on Peacock. 3 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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