Under The Bed (2013) Movie Review
Under The Bed (2013) Movie Review
Under The Bed, 2013
Tubi, Cinematic Widescreen
Normally, I tend to stay away from modern horror films that feature “kid” casts. Mainly because (the newer ones) tend to be aimed at much younger audiences, instead of “general” audiences. Scanning through Tubi, I see this film, and the promo shot is of two kids. Well… one of the kids is holding a rifle, and apparently it’s rated “R”… so why not give it a whirl.
Starting out… the production values are strong. That’s great- I’m not bailing immediately. Good score, great camera work. The main protagonist is a teenager named Neal, coming home after some implied family tragedy. Neal is played by Johnny Weston and his performance is solid. For that matter, his little squirt younger brother Paulie (played be Gattlin Griffith), can also act. In fact, this movie could easily have been derailed by lesser actors.
The movie is about a creature/entity/monster under Paulie’s bed. Kind of a weird, immature plot device, right? Perhaps, but in a strange way that’s exactly what makes the movie work. It takes this concept, and treats it with 100% seriousness. What would you do if YOU were a kid, and had to deal with a monster under your bed AND a dickhead Dad? It would be easy to fuck up a movie like this, and don’t get me wrong… it’s not a perfect film, but it does effectively engage you into this commonly held childhood fear.
The creature is “bound to beds”. There’s even an attempt to explain what’s going on, “in scientific terms”, so to speak. The thing to keep in mind is, there’s actually more than a few “monster under the bed” movies, especially if you extend that to closets and similar spaces. “Monster in the Closet” from 1986 was my first experience with this sub-genre of horror. The creature effects here, in “Under the Bed”, are actually pretty solid physical effects. Definitely a plus, and a stand-out over similar films that might resort to a digital antagonist.
There are parts of this movie that give off strong “Donnie Darko” vibes. Even a scene or two that might be reminiscent of “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. These subtle nods don’t in anyway detract, and to be honest would probably go unnoticed by most people.
Aside from the movie’s namesake monster, the two brothers also are dealing with grief over their recently deceased mother, bullies, and domestic abuse. Heavy stuff. The story does become a bit cliché at times, and the horror is mostly pretty subtle. There are A LOT of scares that happen fast, or in the background. If you aren’t paying close attention, you could easily miss most of the “payoff” moments, especially in the first two acts. This does add to the movies overall creep-factor, which is one of the strong points of the movie.
I’d say that the “R” rating here is a soft R. There’s some F bombs, there’s some domestic violence and kid beating. All in, it’s not excessive or even very hardcore; but since it is presented in a realistic manner, and does deal with some serious subject matter, the R rating isn’t surprising. There is an “other dimension” scene, which I always love. Surprisingly (or not), the art direction for this scene is extremely similar to “the upside down” in Stranger Things. And this movie came out four years earlier.
This movie is kind of a slow burn, and while that’s probably intended, in my opinion it hurts the movie a bit. A faster pace, more scares, and an increase in danger to the protagonists would make this film a lot better. Also, despite the R rating, there are still large portions that kind of have that “Disney made-for-TV Sunday night special movie” feel- Not in respect to the production values, but with respect to the story telling style and pacing. With that said, the ending ramps up quite a bit, and concludes the story fairly well. The last 15 minutes are the best moments. We’ve got two solid decapitations… I suppose that isn’t very “Disney”. Worth watching.
3/5