It’s been too long since I’ve yelled at the screen while watching a scary movie. This mystery/thriller/horror hybrid inspired that kind of “viewer participation” from me. Sometimes talking to the screen from your armchair means the characters are doing something stupid. Not always.
In Caveat, a driftery kinda guy, Isaac (excellent performance by Jonathan French), has suffered some kind of memory loss. His landlord, who claims they used to be friends presents an offer to our bearded Scot: for 200 bucks a day, would Isaac babysit/housesit the landlord’s niece?
That’s a lot of money to Isaac who correctly surmises that, “there’s got to be more to it than that.”
Well, yes- a boatload of red flags are trotted out: the niece is possibly schizophrenic. She has “spells” that are challenging. Oh, and she lives in an essentially abandoned house. Oh, and the house is on a small island in the middle of a lake. Oh, and would Isaac wear the leather restraint chaining him inside the house?
You see? If you’re watching, you can’t help but yell, “No! Hell No! Get Out of this Movie Now!”
But director/writer Damian Mc Carthy knows what he’s doing, and he knows that you know that this is a ridiculous set up. And yet, we go along with it, just as Isaac does.
Now, chained inside the remote house with a crazy young woman and a house that has many family secrets. And a SUPER CREEPY wind-up rabbit that plays drums with enough malice that it alone will kinda scare you.
As always, I will stop short of spoilers – watch the trailer below if you want a little more. What I will say is that it’s a good story and a well-made flick. It lost a bit of steam in the final act, unfortunately, but it had provided enough unforeseen twists by that point that you couldn’t really be mad at it.
Caveat is streaming on SHUDDER | 90 minutes| 3 out of 4 stars| Reviewed by Kyle Osborne
