Rare is the horror film that actually frightens a seasoned genre viewer, but Stopmotion feels committed to doing just that from the second it begins. This disturbing flick doubles down on nightmarish imagery and psychological torment as its singular vision from writer/director Robert Morgan tightens the chokehold. By focusing on a deeply traumatized young woman engulfed by the endless need to please her mother, interesting questions arise regarding how far we will go to for those deemed our “family,” even if they are truly awful people. Themes of obsession, art being all-consuming, and madness rise to the surface. Grueling body horror combines potently with effective stop-motion animated effects in disgustingly perfect Stopmotion.
With her mom’s health waning, Ella (Aisling Franciosi, The Nightingale, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) becomes more committed than ever to assisting the woman in completing her stop-motion film. The two alternate between eating medium-rare steaks, painstakingly photographing the still imagery, and engaging in some nasty arguments. At first, it seems like her mother’s dramatics are simply a smokescreen, but Ella is faced with the reality of the situation far sooner than she expects. Well before her mom gets abruptly taken out of the picture, writer/director Morgan paints his vision for this world in bold strokes. In this case, that means eerie specificity in the animated horrors at hand.
The cyclops depicted in the movie within a movie is a disturbing-looking figure, but Mrs. Cyclops and her dying double are nothing compared to the miniature “little girl,” or her pursuer, “The Ash Man.” Both figures are a total eyesore before throwing raw meat or dead animal carcasses into the equation. As Ella’s art haunts her, we get more and more glimpses of the little girl and The Ash Man outside the confines of their secluded world. The animation appears sparingly enough to matter each and every time. If these nightmarish figures rear their ugly heads, trouble is brewing. One part involving climbing out of a diorama will go down as one of the year’s finest scare sequences.
A little girl (Coiling Springall, Citadel, The Midnight Sky) living in Ella’s apartment building should send off red flags to any horror aficionado. For one, she tries to manipulate and coax Ella into doing dangerous things. Her suggestions change the fabric of the stop-motion movie Ella creates, both literally and figuratively. Each nudge in a specific direction sends Ella’s psyche further over the edge. Springall pops up in all manner of oddly-mismatched outfits, and sporting evil girl energy. Ella’s adorable boyfriend, Tom (Tom York, Olympus, Poldark), cannot even sway her from the obsession Ella develops. Immaculate sound design gives the movie an almost ASMR-quality at times. The score is moody and atmospheric, careful to play to the strengths of the filmmaking prowess.
None of this would work even halfway as well without the committed performance of Aisling Franciosi at the core. Franciosi embraces the intricacies and murky moral waters of Ella with aplomb, relishing in the sinister sensibilities of Stopmotion’s script. As we follow her on this descent into madness, we still do not want to give up on Ella. Gorehounds may be satiated by ripping flesh and macabre visuals, yet it is this grounded performance that truly elevates Stopmotion.
Blur the lines between reality with Stopmotion, lurking into theaters on February 23rd, then streaming exclusively to Shudder on May 31st.
