Over the past two years, there’s been a heavy debate among filmgoers on whether COVID-19 has any place in modern cinema. Some say that, like other historic world events, a virus that has claimed the lives of more than 6.7 million people globally is an important part of our world and history and belongs in our media. Others believe that movies and shows should offer a level of escapism from the morbid reality of the virus. Director John Hyams, who has dabbled in horror TV shows like The Originals, Z Nation, and Chucky, along with writers Kevin Williamson and Katelyn Cabb, believe the former and have used the setting of the pandemic during 2020 for their latest slasher film, Sick.
Williamson is no stranger to the whodunit-style slasher flick, having written the screenplays for I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Faculty, and Scream, one of the most popular horror films of all time.
Sick is a Peacock original film starring Gideon Adlon (The Craft: Legacy), Bethlehem Million, Dylan Sprayberry (Teen Wolf), Marc Menchaca (Ozark), and Jane Adams (Twin Peaks). Blumhouse Productions, Miramax, and Outerbanks Entertainment produced the movie.
Sick follows Parker (Adlon) and Miri (Million), two friends who travel to Parker’s parents’ lake house in order to quarantine together during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. After Parker starts to receive strange text messages from an unknown number, the two learn that they may not be the only ones holed up in the house together. The two must fight to survive as an unknown assailant has the two girls in their sights.
The premise sounds pretty simple, and to a degree, it is. Without spoiling the story, I can say that Kevin Williamson completely delivers on his trademark not-everything-is-as-it-seems slasher tale. The film’s intro starts off in a very Scream-like way and sets a strong tone for a thrilling and gory home invasion-esque whodunit horror movie.
I can honestly say that I wasn’t sure who would live, who would die, who was doing the killing, or whether I needed to wonder if there was more than one killer. This is the writer of one of the biggest killer twists in horror, you know.
Related: Kevin Williamson Calls ‘Scream VI’ “A Fresh Reinvention”
I’m typically one to side with the “escapism” arguments for not bringing up Covid-19 in films, at least while the virus still runs rampant today, but in all actuality, I was supportive of its usage in Sick. The pandemic setting provided an almost traumatizing reminder of what life was like in early 2020, from entire grocery stores being completely out of toilet paper to becoming a localized pariah if you happen to let out a random cough or sneeze.
The quarantine aspect was probably pretty lonesome and scary for those who live alone, and by using the forced isolation and community distrust in this film, an entirely new level of anxiety was layered upon the story. I honestly kind of hate that it worked so well as a plot point and setting.
Overall, the acting was extremely solid. The cast was tight-knit and intimate compared to many other slasher films, especially the ones written by Williamson, but with this story and setting, the small cast was necessary. Adlon absolutely crushed it as the film’s final girl, and while there were some unlikable moments for the character, it’s a reminder that everyone is human, makes mistakes, and is thrust into a life-altering pandemic mode of the unknown.
Sick also had some great brutality and grotesque horror moments. The original Scream film was brutal, don’t get me wrong, but 2022’s Scream brought that brutality to another level. Sick follows along the same lines as a newer, more updated slasher film. The gore levels are high, and the blood is flowing fast.
Yaron Levy, who worked on the camera crew for Saw and is the cinematographer for the Scream TV series, Sick, and the upcoming There’s Something Wrong with the Children, has a knack for slasher-esque chase-down scenes, and his talents are on full display here. The scenes that led to jump scares and reveal were sufficiently haunting. I felt a little let down by the musical score when all the other parts were there. Not that Nima Fakhara’s score was bad; I was just really hoping for some fitting music to knock my socks off.
My biggest issue with Sick was that it felt like a missed opportunity to really create an iconic villain and slasher persona. I totally understand why, with the direction of the story, but even the slasher’s look is about as plain Jane as it gets: a black hoodie and a black bandana mask. Maybe the intent was never there to create an iconic slasher villain like Ghostface with Sick, but I’m not sure that was the original intention with Scream, either.
Related: ‘Scream’ (2022) Review: Brutal but Sits in the Middle of the Pack
The point is the potential was there with Sick, and it’s a story that could be continued, prodded, or molded into fantastic sequels and brought forth with a memorable slasher. Unfortunately, the potential feels dead with the ending of this story and the forgettable villain look.
By itself, though, Sick was entertaining, engaging, and well worth the watch. It hooked me with the signature Kevin Williamson slasher intro and didn’t pull the knife out until the credits rolled. Sick is now streaming on Peacock.
