Metaphorical messages in horror aren’t a new thing. Some of the most recognizable and highly acclaimed horror films ever made have strong messaging behind their horrific stories. Films like The Babadook and Get Out are well known for their messages of grief, depression, and racism. Filmmaker James Suttles tries something a little different in his new film The Nest, as he explores the aspects of addiction and familial loss by way of a creature feature.
The Nest follows the small family of Beth (Sarah Navratil), Jack (Kevin Patrick Murphy), and Meg (Maple Suttles) as they’re struggling with Meg’s severe separation anxiety, unknowing that it’s brought on by the ulterior motives of parasitic insect-like creatures, living within a stuffed bear she receives at a local yard sale.
The creatures use humans as hosts in hopes of communicating and influencing their behavior. Beth must maneuver through the hauntings of her past, making it almost impossible to know who she can trust and who has been compromised by the creatures.
One of many unfortunate truths of addiction is that beating it can seldom be done on your own. When you’ve finally found someone that you can be open with and trust enough to help you, being betrayed by that person can be absolutely devastating and cause relapse. Sarah Navratil stuck out in the role of Beth with her ability to convince the audience that she was going through torture by not being able to trust those who helped her beat her addiction. She wasn’t just scared of them but scared that what she was doing was wrong, that her addiction had taken over her again, and that it wasn’t others who were taken over by parasitic bugs.
Some other standout performances came from the supporting cast. Drez Ryan (The Outsider) played Meg’s guidance counselor and was one of the more likable characters in the film. Beth’s mother, Maggie, was played by the always brilliant and dedicated Dee Wallace, famous for her roles in E.T. the Extra-terrestrial, Cujo, and The Frighteners.
RELATED: Interview: Dee Wallace Talks ‘The Nest’ and Her Career in Acting
I appreciated using a creature feature to push the messaging. It reminded me much of Bryan Bertino’s The Monster film from 2016. I just wish The Nest had more going on. Messaging is a great storytelling tool, but I felt like the film was a little wash, rinse, and repeat. It clearly had some inspiration from parasitic horror greats like Invasion of the Body Snatchers or The Thing. Still, this film didn’t feel like it had an overarching story aside from these creatures’ effects on this family. There didn’t seem to be any reasoning behind their actions, which was disappointing. The film kind of stalled and sputtered with no real place to go by the end. Was the goal a global takeover or survival? Any explanation is better than none.
The creatures themselves weren’t shown on screen much. I’m not sure if this was intentional, given the film’s lower budget, but most of the creep factor came from the continuous clicking noises the creatures used to communicate. I would have liked to see more of a reveal since this film was marketed more as a creature feature, but this worked for what was needed.
Going into the film with the expectation that it’s more of a psychological and metaphorical horror piece than an outright horror or creature feature will allow its audience to appreciate it more. I’ve seen enough horror films where going in expecting one thing and getting another isn’t a drag for me, but this could feel disorienting or slow to a general audience.
I still enjoyed the film and understood its message; I just wanted a more complete package with a finite story and motive.
As of July 20th, 2021, The Nest is available on Digital, On-Demand, and DVD.
We’re hardworking geeks who love to geek out, but we can’t do it without you! If you enjoyed this article and want to see more like it, please consider tipping our writers. Also, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
