Director: Jacob Chase
Notable Cast: Azhy Robertson, Gillian Jacobs, John Gallagher
Jr, Winslow Fegley, Jayden Marine, Gavin MacIver-Wright
One of the more perplexing things that has happened since
the re-opening of theaters after the pandemic started was that the films that
are getting released truly feel dumped onto screens. Most of the bigger titles
have shifted out to 2021 or later and what’s left is a hodgepodge of various
genre titles that have been given approximately zero real marketing. Studios
and producers are terrified to spend any more money on these titles. This
leaves some decent films high and dry to cling onto life in a theatrical
setting that might be appropriately labeled as a cinematic graveyard.
Come Play falls squarely into this category. In the
grand aspect of horror released in 2020, it lands firmly in the middle of the
pack, but it’s a decent film that deserves better than the desolate wasteland
of attention it has received thus far. Come Play is a Babadook’d
spin on Lights Out, if one were to boil it down, but even in that
simplistic comparison the film works. With some decent atmospheric scares, a fascinating
monster design, and a sold dose of familial heart in its plot, Come Play
is a horror flick that may not ultimately be one of the best of the year, but
it does work.