Wake Up Review: A Killer Slices And Dices Gen Z'ers [Fantastic Fest 2023]
Filmmakers RKSS show their mean streak in "Wake Up," a barbarically nasty hunt-and-stalk flick for the sake of viciousness. It's not especially complicated, nor does that matter. "Wake Up" is foaming at the mouth with primal thrills that do not care for mercy. RKSS presents their contemporary riff on "The Most Dangerous Game" in a department store setting, taking aim at unlucky Gen Z'ers who become trophy kills. Nothing matters but survival; a refreshingly focused take on apex predator material that veers into sickening slasher territory.
The massacre takes place in a furniture department store — think IKEA, complete with a meatball food fight. Social media activists hide themselves throughout the showroom floor for an elaborate protest stunt that will expose IDEA's cruel deforestation practices, then pop out undetected. They write graffiti messages, deface company property, and even splatter leftover organs from a butcher's shop in the shower displays, not worried about the night security detail. What's the worst that can happen — they get arrested? Not when primitive hunting hobbyist Kevin (Turlough Convery) is on duty, and he's provoked into following his basest animal instincts.
Are you tired of movies trying too hard to deliver happy endings these days? Alberto Marini's "Wake Up" screenplay offers zero catharsis or salvation for characters that endure utter inhumanity. As "Anna and the Apocalypse" once lyricized, there's no such thing as a Hollywood ending — and "Wake Up" emphatically agrees. It's the kind of action-horror thriller that presents reality for what it is, but not in an off-puttingly exploitative or abusive way. Play with fire, get burned — and RKSS blasts the heat.
Hunt and kill thrills hit the max
There's an enjoyable degree of location-based utilization in "Wake Up," since it takes place in a home restoration mecca. Both the frantic teenagers with geometric animal masks and monstrously burly hunter Kevin use available materials to fasten weapons or set traps. Kitchen utensils, spring-loaded dressers, and sharp barstool legs become implements of death, versus the automatic paintball guns the amateur TikTok activists wield. There's a poignant contrast between generations: the young adults beg for lessened consequences while Kevin executes unlawful justice, suggesting how either are unfortunate products of their systems.
Don't get me wrong, though. What happens to the pro-animal, anti-corporate anarchists is undeserved and overly violent. What makes "Wake Up" so terrifying is the look on these mere children's faces as they stare death in the face, as represented by one of those big-game hunters who seek dominant fantasies through animal brutality. The whimpering, pleading, and assassinations are so distressingly effective, and yet "Wake Up" still features enjoyable breaths of fresh air like victims doused in fluorescent goo navigating pitch-black rooms where their predator lurks. RKSS brings their signature synth-bumping soundtracks and infectious energy that keeps adrenaline higher, and these bursts of originality help "Wake Up" elevate above its straightforward plot.
Let's make one thing clear — your appreciation of "Wake Up" will be tied to your tolerance for senseless violence executed out of blind rage. Not much storytelling development matters during an opening that teases romantic awkwardness between punks still comfortable enough to behave like invincible youths. It's one of those movies about a series of catastrophic events that don't pity lousy luck, but those backstory events aren't a point of emphasis. You're here for the cat-and-mouse game, and the script sometimes acts like that to a detriment. Characters aren't richly defined beyond their blood-red eyes after nearly suffocating, or how they squeal bloody murder when stabbed in the stomach by makeshift spears. If you require more justification, seek it elsewhere.
"Wake Up" makes its impression like a candy bar with a razor blade at its core. It's a sweet little treat for action-horror fans that hurts so good, as long as you're in the mood for visually traumatic, hopeless vibes. Turlough Convery plays an imposing and seethingly unhinged killer with slasher villain emphasis, coaxing pure fear out of his supporting castmates as they see him bounding down another aisle at full speed. Perhaps not the best representation of the messages it's selling, but certainly an exceptional example of the violence it creates.
/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10
‘Wake Up’ Fantastic Fest Review – Vicious Slasher Taps into Societal Rage
The filmmaking trio collectively known as RKSS ( François Simard , Anouk Whissell , and Yoann-Karl Whissell ) tend to toggle between two distinct tones of horror: infectious, gory horror comedies and mean horror that packs a punch. With two features screening at Fantastic Fest , We Are Zombies showcased the directors’ playful side. At the opposite end of the spectrum lies Wake Up , RKSS’s delightfully mean-spirited slasher.
Six Gen Z activists hide in a labyrinthine big box furniture store, biding their time until it closes for business to deface the property in protest. Once the lights go out and the exits are locked, the group spreads across the massive maze-like layout to maximize the damage. Despite some adolescent tension, their plan begins without much of a hitch. That changes when newcomer Karim ( Tom Gould ) isn’t careful and catches the attention of drunk security guards Jack ( Aidan O’Hare ) and his volatile, psychologically disturbed brother Kevin ( Turlough Convery ). Fearing for their jobs, Jack wants to scare the teens away, but an accident pushes Kevin over the edge and sparks a harrowing night of survival for all.
Written by Alberto Marini ( Summer Camp , Sleep Tight ), based on an original idea by Martin Soudan , Wake Up adheres to a conventional first act that introduces its key players and what initially appears to be archetypical roles. Marini’s script and RKSS’ direction give subtle hints that there are more tricks up their sleeves, though. To start, everyone begins with some level of rage, a nod to the title’s plea to the audience. Kevin is the first to lose control of his violent rage, and this slasher villain doesn’t hide behind a mask, while his chosen prey does.
RKSS makes excellent use of the setting, offering plenty of hiding places for the cat-and-mouse thrills and endless tools at the characters’ disposal. Combined with Kevin’s particularly nasty skillset, RKSS keeps the slasher mayhem pumping at a breakneck pace once the first kill gets in the rearview. Most impressive is one climactic showstopper sequence that’s as stunning as intricately complex to stage, an inspired centerpiece from RKSS. Wake Up doesn’t exactly push the deaths into over-the-top territory in terms of gore, but RKSS compensates with details that really sell the brutality, like burst blood vessels in the eyes of a strangle victim.
All of this is bolstered by the unpredictable deaths and an unwillingness to treat the characters as less than intelligent. Mistakes are made for forward momentum, but the teens and their pursuing hunter frequently attempt to outsmart each other. That means that the standard slasher order of deaths by archetype gets tossed out the window straight away. It contributes to the overarching cruel streak that continues through the final coda.
RKSS applies the current state of unrest to a standard slasher. Wake Up doesn’t break the mold, but RKSS plays around enough with the formula to support its thesis and deliver plenty of thrilling surprises. In that way, Wake Up feels like a slasher of yesteryear with modern sensibilities, like a welcome injection of adrenaline made for and by horror fans.
It’s the undercurrent of unrestrained fury that boils over into merciless violence that takes precedence over characters and story here. The high-concept slasher doesn’t offer much in the way of story development or characterization, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a lean, mean – emphasis on mean- horror effort that scratches that slasher itch. RKSS ensures the violence is felt keenly and promises to make you think twice when venturing into a familiar Scandinavian ready-to-assemble furniture chain again.
Wake Up debuted at Fantastic Fest, with release TBD.
Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.
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Lifetime’s ‘When Mom Becomes a Murderer’ Is Equal Parts Mystery and Silly [Review]
Hell hath no fury like an overprotective mom in Lifetime Movie Network’s latest thriller, When Mom Becomes a Murderer .
It’s obviously a ridiculous title that initially seems to reveal all of the movie’s cards, which is frustrating considering that the first two acts treats everything as a mystery. Thankfully writers Declan Dineen , Lucy Foster and Victoria Saxton have a few additional surprises up their sleeves.
Unlike many other recent Lifetime films, there’s an earnest straightforwardness to When Mom Becomes A Murderer . The film opens with recent high school graduate Ellie ( Matreya Scarrwener ) securing the win for her debate team, much to the delight of her principal father Nathan ( Roark Critchlow ) and high school counsellor mother Marion ( Lauren K. Robek ).
Almost immediately, however, Ellie’s good girl status is put in question when she locks eyes with a cute boy post-debate and secretly plans to go clubbing with “bad girl” Nancy ( Emily Giannozio ) against the wishes of her best friend Isla ( Khamisa Wilsher ). Despite being exceedingly bad at sneaking out of the house and disobeying her parents in general, it’s understandable why Ellie wants to break out: Marion is the embodiment of a helicopter parent and she is smothering her daughter (figuratively).
The plot kicks into gear when Nancy, who has borrowed Ellie’s jacket, is pushed over Gib’s cliff by an unseen assailant. And while Ellie immediately catches her mother in a lie, it takes several more developments, including the reveal that Nancy lodged a complaint against Marion that got the counsellor put on administrative leave, that Ellie starts investigating her mother’s shady past.
The summary of suspicious behavor includes: Why is Marion so averse to having her picture taken and why does she insist on having no social media presence? Why do they never visit family or talk about the past? Why is Marion so intent on infantilizing Ellie? And why does she lie to Chief Jones ( Byron Wilson ) about taking the car out on the night of Nancy’s murder?
In true Lifetime fashion, there’s both a convoluted explanation and more than a few twists, but aside from the seemingly spoiler-y title, all of these developments are treated as a genuine mystery. By withholding the identity of the killer, Dineen, Foster and Saxton spend most of the film exploring red herrings, including Isla’s complicated relationship with Nancy, while also turning Ellie into an amateur sleuth who connects with journalist Simon ( Spencer Borgeson ) and librarian Carla ( Beth Fotheringham ) to piece together her mother’s secrets. Naturally, in true mystery form, everyone seemingly has their own secret agenda.
While the mystery is treated 90% seriously, there are still moments of silliness that teeter dangerously close to camp. First and foremost is Robek’s performance, which walks a razor’s edge of utter ridiculousness. The mother’s reactions to every single one of her daughter’s infractions is outsized to the point of parody. Marion is terrified when her daughter dares to speak to a boy in the film’s opening scene, and her response only grow in intensity as Ellie’s rebellious acts escalate.
Then there’s the idea of a girl in 2024 who is on the cusp of going away to College who has never a) had a drink, b) dated, or c) done something other than debate and get good grades. It’s so quaint that the film might as well be set in the 50s.
Ditto Isla, a goody-two shoes whose concern over Ellie’s investigation would be appropriate for a middle school girl, but makes no sense for a teenager. Certainly there are girls who want to savour a final pre-College summer with their girl friend, but Isla’s definition of friendship lives and dies on ice cream and slumber parties.
The other extremely silly (and very late-90s) element is When Mom Becomes a Murderer ‘s reliance on asthma attacks. The film features no less than five different instances that hinge on Ellie’s (in)ability to breathe, so each time the girl gets into a scrape, out comes Scarrwener’s frantic eye-acting, plus the requisite gasping and sucking on an inhaler. The use of debilitating asthma as a narrative crutch truly feels like something from a bygone era; it’s both hilarious and apt to induce plenty of eye-rolls.
Despite this, Scarrwener is winsome in the lead role. As Ellie’s paranoia about her mother escalates, the screenwriters manage to tow the line between satisfying red herrings and ludicrous developments, and Scarrwener holds it all together capably.
The film is admittedly light on moments of violence and director Paula Elle is hit and miss when it comes to the tension. For every sequence that works (like the final killer reveal at the site of Nancy’s death), there’s another that doesn’t (like a mother/daughter hiking trip that relies on bad cell service and a rocky quarry).
Still, When Mom Becomes a Murderer works decently well as a mystery. Thankfully it is more than its very obvious title, and there’s enough silliness here that it’s clear that, despite all of heightened teen drama, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. That’s enough to recommend.
When Mom Becomes a Murderer debuts on Lifetime Movie Network Thursday, July 18 at 8pm EST.
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I n the fourth feature by the Canadian filmmaking collective, Road Kill Superstars (RKSS), François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell, a group of Gen Z activists sneak into a home superstore before closing. They plan to make a political statement against the company’s active role in deforestation by vandalising the store and posting protest videos to social media. Their plan, however, hits a problem when they encounter Kevin (Turlough Convery), a security guard keen to reconnect with his primitive side. He sees them as prey on his hunting ground and when the hunt begins, the activists must survive the night.
Wake Up is the type of film that encourages its audience to kick back and enjoy as all hell breaks loose . Borrowing the popular phrase, it does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s a rollicking 80 minutes of fun – for us, not the unfortunate characters fighting for their lives. However, it lacks the guttural punch of other survivalist films like John Carpenter’s classic, Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale (2000) and Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin’s Ready or Not (2019).
While some may salivate for more excessive violence, the hunt and the kills are entertaining and creative enough. The main qualm will be that the characters’ motivations and interpersonal dynamics are underdeveloped. RKSS, working from a screenplay by Alberto Marini, does the minimum necessary. They introduce a potential romantic motivation for new recruit Tyler (Kyle Scudder), and Ethan’s (Benny O. Arthur) distrust of him, as well as one activist talking about how stores like this put her father out of business. This contrasts with other survivalist films that take time to develop the interpersonal dynamics of its characters, their pasts and motivations. It’s a decision that’s not to Wake Up’s detriment, because it can be enjoyed as a breezier take on this type of story that’s crossed with the slasher.
Wake Up also leans into the archetypal story of the man who has reached breaking point, calls to mind Joel Schumacher’s Falling Down (1993). The construction of cause and effect in pitting the activists against Kevin, may also be a nod to Frankenstein, and the traditions of the sympathetic horror monster.
RKSS and Marini refuse to emphasise the environmental activism angle and enter the timely and contentious conversation about what’s an appropriate form or way to protest. There’s a version of Wake Up that’s more consciously engaged with these social anxieties that would certainly elevate its presence. The filmmakers, however, slip in metaphors that may be missed in favour of the film’s orgy of violence. An effective touch is how the activists who are being killed off one-by-one wear animal masks, metaphorically becoming the thing they’re advocating for and are trying to protect. In the aftermath, we’re reminded of how the engines of commerce and industry continue to endure, despite righteous indignation from the conscionable.
Wake Up continues RKSS’ rebellious affront towards authority . From the orphaned teen’s battle with the older and ruthless warlord and heroics to save the girl in Turbo Kid (2015), to teen Davey spying on his neighbour, a police officer, who he suspects of murder in Summer of 84 (2018), and three young slackers against a corporation in We Are Zombies (2023), RKSS have stacked their films with young characters standing up to the status quo. They challenge authority and institutions of power in an effort to empower themselves.
RKSS are drawn to stories where the young and innocent step out into the adult world, where they try to become heroes of their own stories. These films appeal to the audience’s inner child. They are offering a nostalgic reconnection with not only youthful imagination and desire to grow up, but also the types of films prevalent in the 80s and 90s that tapped into this sense of being. RKSS’ films convey this sense of fun with heavier undertones, where innocence is in peril . All the time, they’re moving between diverse settings, from an apocalyptic world to suburbia and now a deserted home superstore.
Wake Up screened as part of FrightFest at the 2024 Glasgow Film Festival.