In a small Pennsylvania town the suicide rate has been at a record high for years. However, an urban legend somehow ties into the deaths of those small town residents. When those closest to newcomer Maeve (Corin Clay) start dying as well, she takes it upon herself to learn about that urban legend, one that states that the spirit of a girl kills those who have cheated on their significant others. With lives on the line, Maeve is running out of time to uncover the truth.
The score is other-worldy, creating a sense of mystery and discomfort throughout the course of Cheat. Sure, Writer-Directors Kevin Ignatius and Nick Psinakis use a series of different melodic techniques to ensure that their film moves at the right pace or strikes the right cord–but other-worldly best describes the overarching theme of the score. This is my favorite part of the film, and it’s the thing that will likely be considered the cornerstone of Cheat when it ultimately finds success.
There are a million things happening throughout the course of Cheat, and there are most definitely some extraneous details that don’t need to play a role in the film. With that, however, it feels that Ignatius and Psinakis do a good job of piecing things together in a way that allows the film to remain cohesive and effective. The film, for the most part, is easy to follow–and much of what occurs throughout is developed in a way that remains accessible to viewers. In a lot of ways Cheat is your standard horror film where an urban legend comes to life and haunts a small, semi-unsuspecting town–but it feels just a little bit different. While those extraneous details are a tad frustrating, because in the grand scheme of the film they serve no purpose, they sometimes help to separate Cheat from other films of the genre. They still don’t work in the fashion in which they were intended, but I suppose they help.
There are many times when viewers feel like they are seeing the film through the eyes of someone–one of the characters or something else entirely. We are effectively picked up and placed smack dab in the center of Cheat. On one hand this allows the film to intensify, allowing viewers to feel like they are part of the death-riddled journey. On the other hand, however, and I think this is more prominent, I felt that I was missing something. While I was fully immersed in this world, I often felt that a standard shot would have been more effective in showing viewers the bigger picture. The point-of-view lens makes things feel small, and by not allowing viewers to see the full scope of the things occurring just off screen, there were moments in Cheat when I felt a disconnect.
Viewers are pulled into Cheat on numerous occasions, and there were a plethora of times in which I truly felt like I was there. With that, however, comes consequences–and, in turn, a slight disconnect from the bigger picture. Cheat plays out in a relatively linear fashion, and I don’t think that many viewers would struggle to understand all that’s taking place–but to literally not be able to see the things happening around you at pivotal times in the film makes it challenging. That’s the one issue I have with the film, however. The score helps to drive the film forward, it causes it to feel bigger and more powerful–and through the slight differentiation in comparison to other films of the genre, Cheat develops into a solid horror film.
Written & Directed by Kevin Ignatius & Nick Psinakis.
Starring Corin Clay, Michael Thyer, Danielle Grotsky, Clara Miller, Brady O’Donnell, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
댓글