“We’re a fucking FAMILY!”

Story: Years into a “catastrophic ecological collapse”, the Athens Accords plot out worldwide population reductions each country must meet with a year. Can a group of self-absorbed siblings deal with these reductions when the reality of the situation comes to their door? Y’know, before dessert?

Scares: More uncomfortably comedic than spooky, though echos of real life issues can be chilling.
Splat Factor: Some well done stabs and other types of bloody mayhem.

Subgenre: Dark AF Dystopian Satire
Year Released: 2024
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original, though you’ll definitely see parallels to our current climate crisis.

Trick or Treat?: David Cronenberg is a horror legend, directing outrageous, incredible films like Videodrome, Rabid, and 1986’s The Fly. His son Brandon has recently crafted horrors Antiviral, Possessor, and Infinity Pool. Now daughter Caitlin Cronenberg has stepped up to the directorial plate with Humane, a darkly comedic look at what the world may come to if the human population takes too great a toll on our ever-dwindling natural resources. Humane has vibes that echo other recent satirical horror, like Ready or Not, and 2015’s The Invitation, but with one difference. This film purposefully hits very close to home. Y’know, if we continue to be dicks about our planet.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. A bit of a peek behind my curtain; I often find myself at a loss as to what to review during my 31s. Yeah, there are tons of horrors on offer, but I get spoiled for choice, and sometimes end up rolling the dice and saying “yeah, that’ll do”. Like I did with Humane. Caitlin’s brother’s work isn’t exactly my cuppa, so I wasn’t too keen to jump into this film. But it’s nice to see that each of the Cronenbergs have their own particular take on what makes horror horrific. With Caitlin, here she’s injected a cynical humor to the proceedings, as news outlets in this world talk about “volunteers” who “sacrifice” their lives for “the greater good”. (Sorry. For me, all roads lead to Edgar Wright’s films.) The siblings themselves talk about how “These rules aren’t made for people like us!” And even the guy from D.O.C.S. (Department of Civilian Services, aka the folks who euthanize “volunteers”) admits he’s into watching people die. It’d be a straight up comedy if it wasn’t so bone-chillingly relevant.

There’s also a family comedy-drama playing here. As the family gathers together at the behest of their father (played with WASP-y wonderfulness by Peter Gallagher), arguments start off at the jump, as the four adult siblings hold on to lifelong resentments as if they’re the only things keeping them afloat. The casting of performers with both comedic and dramatic backgrounds works perfectly here, as each actor is able to imbue their roles with gravitas and slapstick. Chief among them is Jay Baruchel as Jared, the eldest sibling, and the most selfishly oblivious to what’s going on in the world…even though he’s the mouthpiece of the government’s reduction campaign. He gets lines like “I’m not racist! No, I’m an ally”, and makes them feel natural. Others might have come off too sarcastic or taken a lighter touch, but Baruchel nails the pretentious cluelessness perfectly.

The gore is minimal here, and for an R-rated film, I was surprised Humane went so soft. We do see bloody wounds as people attack each other, and of course some characters die. But the violence is either borderline farcical, or quietly off-screen. I didn’t expect a zombie apocalypse, but this could have easily been a PG-13 but for the cursing. Still, Humane is one to add to the Halloween Fest pile, especially if you’re having folks over who “don’t really do horror”. This is a satirical horror anyone outside of the lightest touch can enjoy. After this, of course, you can pop on another satire, like Society, and make their heads explode. Or maybe not, if you like those folks.

Score: 4 out of 5 pumpkins.