Channeling J-horror vibes and Malignant meets The Black Phone energy, Cobweb is an eerie throwback horror doused in Halloween-season atmosphere. Written by Chris Thomas Devlin (2022’s excellent Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and directed by Samuel Bodin (Netflix’s Marianne), this simplistic but highly effective chiller follows many horror tropes, before consistently flipping them on their head. Even its conclusion practices restraint, understanding that sometimes the scariest things are left to the imagination. Cobweb manages to surprise and titillate in its portrayal of a severely dysfunctional family… and the dark secrets lurking in the walls of their very home.
Little Peter (Woody Norman, C’Mon C’Mon, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) has been plagued late at night by strange rustling, pounding noises seemingly coming from behind his bedroom walls. Things are bound to go bump in the night, mother Carol (Lizzy Caplan, Castle Rock, Cloverfield) insists. Scary things are “just in your head,” she tells Peter before tucking him back into bed. Peter’s father, Mark (Antony Starr, The Boys, Wish You Were Here), suspects the noises may be rats.
At school, Peter turns in concerning paintings to his substitute teacher, Miss Devine (Cleopatra Coleman, Infinity Pool, The Last Man on Earth), and gets constantly bullied by obnoxious kids at recess. As the situation at school grows worse and the incessant noises at home persist, Peter begins to hear a stranger’s voice in the walls, beckoning to him through a tiny hole hidden underneath the grimy layer of wallpaper. Perhaps Peter’s parents are not what they appear to be?
Cobweb spectacularly builds tension, particularly with young Peter. Woody Norman brings weighty gravitas to the character, and I was rooting for him every step of the way. Just when it seems to be fully unraveled, Cobweb’s clever script unspools another thick layer of twists and turns. Effects work and makeup/hairstyling are seamless, playing up the scares when we finally get some answers to the haunting questions that keep arising in the first two acts of the film. The only player really underserved is Miss Devine; though Coleman remains committed throughout, we never get much of a grasp on the woman behind the substitute.
A long Rapunzel-like mop of spider-addled hair slinks around every corner. Director Samuel Bodin is sure to keep the terrifying secrets shrouded in darkness until absolutely necessary and organic to the story. While Cobweb may not win over any new converts to the horror genre, as a seasoned fan myself, I can safely say that original non-IP horror titles will always have a special place in my cobweb-infested heart.
Get stuck in a creepy Cobweb when the new horror/thriller debuts exclusively in limited theaters on Friday, July 21st.
