With so much content constantly at our fingertips, there truly can be something found for any taste level. When it comes to the dark web or even the Elite Hunting Club of the Hostel films, we find depraved people getting their rocks off and profiting from the misery of others in the same breath. Is it really that far off to imagine folks paying and betting on watching the chaos unfold? Michael Leavy, producer of Terrifier and Terrifier 2, gets behind the director’s chair for the voyeuristic nastiness of Stream. Leavy is not the only carryover from that hugely popular series, either—Damien Leone conducts the impressive practical effects, and David Howard Thorton, Art the Clown himself, fills the shoes of ruthlessly twisted Player 2. This is far more than a simple Terrifier reunion though. Fueled by gnarly kills, an ensemble cast of cannon fodder victims, and a confined one-building setting, Stream stylishly slaughters the competition.
Clocking in at just over two hours in length, Stream is quite the undertaking, albeit fitting and surprisingly well-paced for a longer title. After an opening scene that nearly claims our first victim, surveillance-style footage greets us in the opening credits. The Keenan family are the main focus, complete as a typical dysfunctional family unit. Kevin (Wesley Holloway) is the youngest, a tech-savvy gamer curious about everything; the surprisingly cool matriarch, agreeable Elaine (Danielle Harris), suggests they take a much-needed family vacation at Pennsylvania’s The Pines; troublemaker Taylor (Sydney Malakeh) gets dropped at home by the cops when we first meet her; and finally, the father, Roy (Charles Edwin Powell), just wants everyone to get along. When they arrive to check in at The Pines, a weird vibe already permeates. The lobby overflows with potential victims. Horror legend Jeffrey Combs plays the manager of a facility for the second time since I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, only here, his role is far meatier as Mr. Lockwood.
The Pines overflows with interesting characters, providing plenty of caricatures for the various character actors. This includes two horny Frenchman, a flirtatious bartender, two lesbians and their token gay, a wandering drunkard, a janitor in the wrong place at the wrong time, and so many more. Stream takes its time fleshing them out over more than a scene or two in the spotlight, but many quite obviously only exist to be on the receiving end of some truly graphic death scenes. Glorious and brutal, all manner of slayings leap out at viewers, courtesy of four “players” that stalk and murder the many folks staying at The Pines. A nasty game of body tic-tac-toe and a savage incident with a barbed-wire necklace were the standouts for me. Each elaborate death scene is so varied and relentless in its savagery that there is truly an iconic kill for any jaded genre afficionado. Then again, those who prefer their horror to be of a subtler nature may be turned off entirely. This is not a film for the faint of heart, no matter what way you spin it.
The four players each have distinct onscreen personas despite their concealed appearances, with a puppet master working behind the scenes to make sure their project goes off without a hitch. Propulsive chase scenes accompanied by strobe lighting add another layer to the fun. Player 1 (Jason Leavy) seems to have a torture fetish; Player 2 (Thorton) and Player 3 (Liana Pirraglia) are more playfully sadistic; and Player 4 (Mark Haynes) is a bulky brute whose sheer strength appears to be his greatest asset. Who will rack up the most creative kills, and consequently, the highest payout? Will anyone survive a night in The Pines on the run from these sadistic madmen?
Perhaps it was only fitting that, while streaming my screener of Stream, I had an issue with said stream, and dropped Wi-Fi. In a way, this only added to the experience in a humorous little breaking up of the action. With a novel concept and a chilling set of unsympathetic masked killers, Stream could be the first in a franchise. Certainly, an end credits tease featuring two iconic horror actors appears to indicate there are many directions to take the carnage next. I would love to see how this plays out with audiences, and what genre vets they rope in for the next over-the-top massacre.
Win big and place your bets on the right Stream, exclusively in theaters on Friday, August 21st.
