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The Furies (2019) is an Australian slasher from writer-director Tony D’Aquino, and although the core story has been told before, the film offers its own unique spin. In fact, about twenty-minutes into the film, it delivers an insanely brutal kill that you will not soon forget after watching.
The story follows Kayla (Airlie Dodds, Killing Ground) who get kidnapped, drugged, and left in a secluded wooded area. She soon meets other women and discovers they are being hunted by mysterious masked killers, often in gruesome ways. Not helping the situation is Kayla’s untreated epilepsy, and the rules of the game, which make for some twists and turns.
As already mentioned, we have seen films with the theme of humans being hunted in the woods. Regardless, D’Aquino made wise decisions that helps The Furies stand out in the sub-genre. For one, Kayla could not have been better casted. Airlie Dodds rocked her performance, and the scenes of Kayla being effected by her epilepsy were both powerful and anxiety-inducing. And, speaking of, the epilepsy element plays out in an unexpected way, giving the character both an advantage and disadvantage. There was also some interesting technology brought into the story that made it feel smarter and more stylish, bordering on a Black Mirrors-esque plot.
Aside from snippets of backstory from the women, there really isn’t much story beyond them getting hunted. There is zero character development on the side of the hunters, but honestly…it just isn’t needed. While I did have some lingering questions, they were mostly for my own curiosity and wouldn’t have made any difference in the plot. As we have learned with other slashers, sometimes lack of a backstory is a good thing.
Of course, a gory slasher film is dependent on well-executed FX, and The Furies certainly delivers in that area. A couple of the kills are enough to make even veteran horror fans cringe.
While the lack of backstory or killer character building may turn some off, The Furies has plenty to offer fans of the slasher sub-genre. The film can be found exclusively on the Shudder streaming app.
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