Okay kiddies, I did it last year. I did it the year before that. I am insane. A quick and dirty review of a horror movie every day, all through October. Let’s rumble!
Story: In the not so distant future, Syd works for a company that markets sickness. Why? Because these illnesses are collected from famous people. Fans who want to “get closer” to their idols come to Syd, and he injects ’em with anything from cold sores to serious flu. But there’s a new illness infecting the most famous star of them all. How far will fans – and businesses hungry to make a buck – go?
Scares: Like his father David, director Brandon Cronenberg is big on keeping things low-key. There’s a lot of horrifying imagery here, along with a heaping dose of creepy. The pervasive sense of dread and ideas revolving around celebrity worship are icky, but not scream inducing. Consider this a thinking person’s scare flick.
Splat factor: Minimal. With the virus, there’s blood to be seen, but no out & out gore. Cool laboratory cellular research FX, but there isn’t anything beyond someone’s icky symptoms.
Closing scene “shocker”?: None. The film ends on a shocking – and kinda squicky – note, and credits roll. No last minute saves, or silly tacked on scares.
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Wholly original.
Trick or Treat?: Depends on what you like. I adore black licorice, but you may hate the stuff. Same goes here; Antiviral is a harsh, terrifying look at the cult of celebrity that takes the fascination with “knowing” famous people to a whole new level. While I was watching this, I got chills not only because of the content itself – and Caleb Landry Jones’ excellent, creepy performance – but because the way some people fawn over stars? I can see something like the craziness in this film coming to pass. Eek.
I expected more strangeness to the story, but unlike David, Brandon Cronenberg holds back on the truly batshit. That bit of sanity makes the story much more horrifying than everyone turning into crazy mutant zombies or something. (Not that crazy mutant zombies aren’t awesome, because they are.) Hard core horror hounds may not find it their cup of tea, but for folks who want a bit of icky without the weirdness, Antiviral is the way to go.
Score: 
out of 5 pumpkins.
Atomic Fangirl 