You could make an argument that the psychological thriller genre has grown a bit stale over the years. What used to be an interesting place to showcase character studies about truly disturbing people has turned into fairly basic procedurals with very few surprises. Well, you don’t have to worry about that with the new psychological thriller/horror film, “Censor.”
As seen in the trailer for “Censor,” the new film from director Prano Bailey-Bond is a psychological thriller that gets under your skin by not playing by conventional filmmaking rules. The film follows the story of a censor named Enid that is incredibly meticulous and serious about her work. However, when she discovers a film that brings back eerie memories about her past, she flirts with madness.
“Censor” is the directorial debut for Bailey-Bond, who doesn’t play it safe with her big-screen introduction. She uses a ton of visual flair to tell what is truly a strange, disturbing story. The cast is led by Niamh Algar, who commands your attention through almost every frame of the feature.
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I was able to catch “Censor” as part of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. In my review, I said called the film “an impressive, visually stunning, deeply disturbing debut from Bailey-Bond and a showcase for Algar, who gives a truly spectacular performance. It’s a film that fuses sensibilities, allowing you to fondly remember the illicit era of scuzzy, potentially dangerous VHS tapes from your teenage years while also presenting a thoughtful character study that tickles the mature part of your brain.”
“Censor” arrives in theaters on June 11 and on VOD on June 18. You can watch the new trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
Film censor Enid takes pride in her meticulous work, guarding unsuspecting audiences from the deleterious effects of watching the gore-filled decapitations and eye gougings she pores over. Her sense of duty to protect is amplified by guilt over her inability to recall details of the long-ago disappearance of her sister, recently declared dead in absentia. When Enid is assigned to review a disturbing film from the archive that echoes her hazy childhood memories, she begins to unravel how this eerie work might be tied to her past.
