“All I want to to do is finish this film before I die. Is that such a BURDEN?”

Story: Ella’s mom is a famous stopmotion artist. Ella’s mom is a horribly abusive See You Next Tuesday. When mom has a massive stroke in the middle of yelling at Ella, Ella decides to finish the film she’d been coerced into helping her mother with. Ella goes bonkers, and dies. Spoiler alert or whatever.

Scares: Creepy and indelicately horrifying
Splat Factor: Body horror grossness, delivered realistically

Subgenre: Disappointing Films With Good Buzz
Year Released: 2024 (2023 festival circuit)
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?:

Trick or Treat?: Don’t bother with this one. Sure, writer/director Robert Morgan is adept at his craft. I’m sure if the subject matter was different, I’d be fascinated. But as a survivor of childhood abuse, I can’t in good conscience recommend this to anyone who isn’t into watching an abused person spiral into destruction and death. Full stop.

More? Fine. If I saw this pice of wannabe-important garbage, the least I can do is make sure I get the word count high enough for this review to towards my yearly critics guild membership. So here we gooooo.

This film just says there’s no escaping trauma. No matter what happens in your life, you’re a hair’s breath away from a complete breakdown. It’s a disgusting idea. I get it’s supposed to a look at the downward spiral into madness, but this film’s story is too heavy handed to feel a part of.

The shuddering title cards and strobe effects at the start of the film are extremely offputting as well. I almost turned it off, except for all the good buzz I’d heard about this film. I kinda hate every single person that blew so much smoke up my ass about this film.

Ella is portrayed as sympathetically as possible by a captivating Aisling Franciosi. She puts Ella’s emotions front and center, even when her mind is shattering. As the abusive mom and obnoxious little girl, Stella Gonet and Caoilinn Springall are almost too good. 

Stopmotion isn’t a film you’ll enjoy. It’s a film you’ll suffer through. I can’t recommend it. No matter how much I dug the batshit crazy FX. No matter how amazing the stopmotion, acting, and creepy score. It’s simply too cruel to be anything but an emotionally draining slog. It’s an hour and a half I’ll never get back, and that I shouldn’t have wasted. 

(There. That’s around 400 words. Not even editing this one. I’m fucking done.)

Score: 0. 5 out of 5 pumpkins