Sick (Movie Review)

Scream is arguably the best and certainly the most influential horror movie of the nineties.  At a time when there seemed to be nothing new under the sun, Scream revitalized the genre and reminded the industry that writing matters as much as gore.  Scream’s writer, Kevin Williamson, has gone on to write and produce many more genre films as well as the seminal CW teen drama, Dawson’s Creek. 

His latest offering (co-written with Katelyn Crabb), Sick, does a good job balancing action, humor, and horror in a swift 83 minutes.  Directed by John Hyams, Sick takes place in April 2020 with the COVID-19 lockdown in full effect.  After a violent opening, college students Parker (Gideon Adlon) and Miri (Bethlehem Million) decide to quarantine at Parker’s father’s lakeside vacation home.  Miri takes the pandemic seriously while Parker is a bit looser on the procedures.  The juxtaposition serves a rorshach test for the viewer.  Are you a Miri or a Parker?  DJ (Parker’s ex-friend with benefits played by Dylan Sprayberry) unexpectedly shows up, ultimately bringing the mood down.  The characters share an urban legend by the fire (inspired from a Dawson’s Creek episode written by Williamson), party and spray disinfectant on their groceries.  Eventually, everyone beds down for the night only to be woken by a strange noise and their phones missing.  Someone is inside the house and they are not following the social distancing guidelines.  What follows is a game of cat and mouse. 

The luxurious vacation home lends itself to some fun set pieces included a rooftop escape.  Williamson’s script has a sprinkling of his trademark meta horror references (especially Friday the 13th, which ties in nicely with the release date).  The pandemic also plays a major role but Sick keeps the intruder’s immediate danger front and center.  Surprisingly, the most tense scene involves a trip to a grocery store where an innocuous cough puts everyone on edge.  How alarming are a few cryptic text messages from an unknown number in this social climate?  Hyam’s directing is steady, nothing flashy.  Adlon, Million and Sprayberry give good performances withParker and Miri come off as likable.  DJ, however, is a wildcard with ambiguous intentions.  A little more backstory would have been nice but might have bogged the film down.  The Gen Z characters in Sick are toned down when compared to last year’s Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.  With the pandemic kinda, sorta, maybe not over in the US and still raging in other countries, we have seen a slew of movies incorporating the subject such as Host, Glass Onion, and Locked Down.  Sick offers a snapshot into that time, however it is well done horror/home invasion first and foremost.