Quit watching half way through and you’ll think you were watching a schlocky horror flick—but stay for the whole 90 minutes and you may decide that you ‘ve actually viewed a decent psychological thriller that took you inside the mixed-up mind of a lonely lady, and other unexpected destinations.
It’s Christmas time, and inside the suburban house of a nurse and her teenage daughter, the beautiful lights and decorations are like Martha Stewart on her best day. But Mom’s attention is spent mostly on her daughter, whose mysterious illness must be treated with injections, ice baths and heat lamps. It seems very much like a Munchausen by proxy case is going on.
Meanwhile, two teens break through the blizzard and into a home invasion, turning the tables on Mom and teen and forcing them to decide how to get back out of the house they broke into.
Being careful not to give anything away – Ill just say that a giant porcupine makes for some practical make up appearances that seem to have come from a far less classy thriller. Silly almost. Just go with it and keep in mind that one person’s piercing porcupine might be another person’s personification of inner nightmares, guilt and bat shit craziness. In other words, don’t take the stirring creature literally and wait for the reveal in the last couple of minutes to find out what’s really been going on during this slightly confusing storyline.
A second viewing will be more satisfying that the first–once you know some things early on, things will make a lot more sense and even be rewarding in the final act.
A Creature Was Stirring available Feb 13th on Blu-ray and DVD and to rent on all the streaming platforms. Rated R, 96 minutes.
