Red Pill bears the distinction of being the most obnoxiously political mess I’ve seen from modern horror. The closest movie that came to mind in comparison was The First Purge, but at least that had some entertaining moments. This dashes into politics right off the bat, with zero sense of subtlety to the dialogue or actions. The strange visuals barely contribute to the floundering narrative. When even the kills and the ending wade this deeply into aggressive opinions, it becomes hard to cheer on any of the characters.
As the 2020 election fast approaches, six friends head into the country to recruit white women voters. From the moment they arrive at the place they rented for the weekend, strange events start playing out that make them question why they even bothered. It paints the Republican party as being a literal cult that must carry out their sinister agenda.
Big swaths of Red Pill feel like the creators are throwing anything they can think of at the screen to see what sticks. Urine-battered baked goods, random rape for the sake of it, nonsensical kills, hidden camera footage, long rants about voting blocks, and Americans blaming everyone but themselves are only a fraction of what this film has on offer. A scene full of fart/poop jokes that goes on way too long is appalling, as if this is just so riotously hilarious. One character says “What’s the difference between a joke and two dicks? I can take a joke.” Messy messages about politics couples with glaringly awful effects work to craft a confusing, misguided horror misfire. Cult vibes are nothing new, and have nothing interesting to say. If you’ve seen any of the direct-to-video Children of the Corn sequels, you’ve seen most of what this has on offer. If you are masochistic enough, a double feature paired with Children of the Corn: Genesis is in your future. A toast to an eternity of never watching this film ever again! Red Pill played as part of the 2021 Pan African Film Festival.
