Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Separation tones down the jump scares and rather focus on a creepy set of monsters and its story of revenge.
| Director(s) | William Brent Bell |
| Screenplay By | Nick Amadeus, Josh Braun |
| Date Released (Theatrical) | 4/29/2021 |
| Genre(s) | Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery |
| Duration | 1 Hour 47 Minutes |
| Rating | R |
| Noted Cast | |
| Jeff | Rupert Friend |
| Maggie | Mamie Gummer |
| Paul | Brian Cox |
| Jenny | Violet McGraw |
This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text may contain affiliate links, which, if a purchase is made, we’ll earn money or products from the company.
Film Summary
For the last few years, Jeff has been unemployed and hasn’t produced anything in regards to his comic or the dolls attached. Because of this, everything, financially, falls on his with Maggie, who had to work for her father, Paul, to make ends meet. This, naturally, puts a strain on their relationship and poor Jenny finds herself eventually in the middle of it all as her parents end their marriage and fight for custody.
But, thanks to a series of events, Jeff finds himself temporarily getting the upper hand in the custody battle. However, whether it is fate, a higher power, and a demonic being? Well, that’s hard to say.
Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Reason(s) for Film Rating: Blood, drinking, drug use, and cursing
- Jump Scares/ Laughs/ Tear-Jerking Moments: None of the above
Review
Highlights
It Aims More So To Be Creepy Than Do Jump Scares
While you’ll see contortionist, weirdly-faced beings in the shadows, the film doesn’t necessarily try to do any notable jump scares to freak you out. Rather, it wants to push the vibe of Jenny and Jeff being watched by beings who may do them harm. Thus making their appearances more something you worry about than are scared of.
No Desire To Be Overly Complicated
In Separation, there is a mystery in regards to a tragic and fatal accident. However, the film doesn’t try to create this “Who did it?!” type of vibe and doesn’t really push you to become suspicious of anyone in particular. Instead, it seems like it wants to cover the basics of what you’d expect of a horror movie, especially one starring a child, and that’s it.
A Handful Of Moments Give You A Cathartic Release
Maggie and her dad aren’t made to be likable people. Don’t get us wrong, you understand why they don’t like Jeff. However, the effort they put into trying to take Jenny away makes it so that you almost want to cheer when bad things happen to them. Mainly due to it seeming like karma was at play.
On The Fence
Some Of The Special Effects Are Lackluster
Early on, we see someone die, and blood comes from their body, and something about the blood looks off. It’s almost like the finished product isn’t that polished because the scene wasn’t long enough to justify really putting extra details into a pool of blood forming around a body.
Overall
Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)
Separation hasn’t any desire to be the next SaW or even the best horror you’ve ever seen. It just wants to creep you out a bit, allow its actors to be seen and show their talent, and send you home. Which does push the feeling this more so seems of the caliber for a VoD release, but if you just want to get out of the house and see a movie, this is for you.
[amazon bestseller=”Horror Movies” items=”3″]
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