Writers/Directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell (The Boy Behind the Door, The Djinn) have a way with single-location thrillers that are simplistic in setup but visceral in unrelenting suspense. Their style of lean, efficient storytelling that puts the horror first continues with their latest, Push (formerly titled Open House). Armed with a much bigger location and […]
Writers/Directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell (The Boy Behind the Door, The Djinn) have a way with single-location thrillers that are simplistic in setup but visceral in unrelenting suspense. Their style of lean, efficient storytelling that puts the horror first continues with their latest, Push(formerly titledOpen House). Armed with a much bigger location and stylish cinematography, Charbonier and Powell’s latest makes for a more mature effort that delivers (pun intended) in a massive way when it comes to nail-biting tension and intense thrills.
Realtor Natalie (Alicia Sands) takes on the impossible task of selling a sprawling, stunning estate that’s been vacant for many years thanks to a grisly murder that took place there. Her boss doesn’t think she can do it; no one has so far. But Natalie has a lot riding on this sale. She’s still trying to pick up the pieces from the loss of her significant other, and she’s due to give birth at any time. So, Natalie hosts an open house for the labyrinthine manor. Just when she’s ready to call it quits for the night, she’s startled by the quiet arrival of a potential Client (
). The mysterious stranger quickly becomes a dangerous threat to Natalie and her unborn baby.
The setup, a home invasion centered around a pregnant woman and her attacker, inevitably calls Inside to mind. Luckily, Charbonier and Powell aren’t interested in retreading that story or its more extreme aspects. Instead, the filmmaking duo opts for constant, unrelenting dread and late-game genre surprises that shift this minimalist exercise in suspense into more original territory. The biggest clue that Push has different aims lies within the Client’s motivation, even though Castillo brings a certain imposing menace and doles out terrifying verbal and physical threats. Push is closer to Halloween in its simple elegance and nerve-fraying cat-and-mouse chase.
That’s helped by Daniel Katz‘s (Funny Games, I Am Legend) rich cinematography that lends a classic cinematic quality. Production designer Mars Feehery(V/H/S/99, The Wretched) also does some heavy lifting in giving the sprawling estate a lived-in personality that helps ensure this creepy house is just as much a character as the Client and Natalie. Charbonier and Powell take full advantage of their larger-scaled setting, giving Natalie plenty of places to hide and even more dark corners to conjure up a few innovative scares and tense stand-offs. Elevators in horror are always bad news, and this filmmaking duo finds another way to use one for maximum terror.
Push offers up a series of escalating suspense-heavy set pieces that only build until an action-heavy finale that lets Alicia Sands tap into an exciting ferocity, transforming the sweet but savvy character into a root-worthy and empathetic Final Girl.
Push wears its cinematic influences on its sleeves, which makes some of the plot beats more predictable though no less thrilling. It’s unhelped by the lean efficiency of the storytelling that leaves all aspects exposed. But just when you think you’ve pegged how Natalie’s battle of wits and wills with the Client will wind up, Charbonier and Powell shift gears in more ways than one. Fans of their previous films will also find added depth to a third-act cameo, bringing new layers to this world.
Charbonier and Powell operate on a level that strips away all pretenses and excess, leaving nothing behind but a lean, mean home invasion thriller that plays like a breathless chase in a briskly paced 90-minute runtime. While the throwback feel and cinematic influences lend a familiarity, Push still surprises with its uncanny ability to unnerve. That has as much to do with its two strong lead performances as it does with the filmmakers themselves, who once again make sustained, visceral suspense seem like an effortless art form.
Push made its world premiere at Sitges, with release info TBD.
