‘Cobweb’ Review: Lizzy Caplan & Antony Starr Are Wonderfully Deranged In Samuel Bodin’s Bonkers & Scary Horror Delight

As the opening credits begin in “Cobweb,” eagle-eyed audience members might notice the appearance of the Point Grey production company. This is the company formed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, a studio known for its smart, incredibly popular comedy films and TV series. Wait, “Cobweb” is a dark horror film, right? Yes, yes it is. This is your first clue that Samuel Bodin’s directorial debut is anything but your typical haunted house film. “Cobweb” is perhaps, simultaneously, the most ambitious and ridiculous horror film of 2023. And if you sit back, allow the often scary and somewhat zany “Cobweb” to enter your eye holes and weave its gossamer creation in the depths of your brain, you will likely have an absolute blast with this film.

Just a quick warning: It’s nearly impossible to talk about “Cobweb” without hinting at the ending, so understand that if you want to go in fresh—which is highly recommended for maximum enjoyment—then don’t read further until you’ve seen the film.

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“Cobweb” tells the story of a young boy, Peter (Woody Norman), who is picked on in school. He’s constantly pushed around by bullies and none of the other kids bother to befriend him. This situation is only made worse by his oddly over-protective parents, Mark (Antony Starr) and Carol (Lizzy Caplan), who are clearly the true cause to their child’s alienation from the rest of the world. The film picks up when young Peter begins hearing a knocking coming from a wall in his room. What is causing the knocking? And why are his parents adamant that he is imagining things and there’s nothing to be scared about? Well, these are questions audience members should—and will—be asking often as the taut 88-minute feature plays out.

Written by Chris Thomas Devlin (Netflix’s fun, gory 2022 reboot of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), “Cobweb” is a film that is smart enough to understand exactly what the audience will be thinking as the tension grows. Horror fans are conditioned by years and years of haunted house films, particularly the current crop of micro-budget, somewhat formulaic frights, to expect certain things. A kid hears a bump in the night? Maybe a demon, perhaps a vengeful spirit. Oh, film fans, Bodin and Devlin are ready for your assumptions and predictions. At around the 30-minute mark of “Cobweb,” the script is flipped—for the first time, but not the last—and even the most seasoned of horror fans will start to question everything they know about haunted house films. The vengeful spirit theory is thrown out of the window. A new, even scarier, fucked up situation is presented. And that’s when the audience would do best to just sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Subversive horror films with twists and turns are nothing new. In fact, it’s almost expected that a modern horror film has to do something new. But often, these films don’t have the talent involved to actually succeed. “Cobweb” is incredibly lucky to have Starr, Kaplan, Norman, and Cleopatra Coleman in the relatively small cast to really sell even the most ludicrous moments. Starr and Kaplan, in particular, excel as Peter’s parents. Their characters blur the lines between menacing, insane, and caring. Kaplan is just on a different level as Carol, a woman who seems ripped from the ‘50s housewife mold, who is suffering from the sort of PTSD you’d expect from a soldier asked to serve multiple tours in Iraq. She’s, at once, wholesome, shell-shocked, and frightening. There’s one scene at the end of the first act that will leave you with absolute chills with how terrifying it is, and that’s 100% due to Kaplan’s performance. Starr, thanks to his time as the horrific Homelander on “The Boys,” has developed this uncanny ability to say something nice and caring but laced with venom and malice that you are constantly questioning his real motives. And then, there’s Norman, as Peter. The young actor is given a role with little dialogue, but the responsibility of selling each scene with only his eyes and body language. Norman just absolutely nails it. If there’s any weak link in the acting, it might be Coleman, but only because she’s not given nearly as much meat as her castmates. Her role towards the end of the story turns into one of reaction, which often feels one-note in horror films. That is to say, she has to look scared, yell a bit, and run. 

As great as the cast is, Bodin’s direction establishes him as one of the most exciting up-and-coming filmmakers in the horror genre. Sure, he might rely a bit too much on snazzy camera movements when something more subtle could have been more effective. However, most of the time, he’s able to utilize the lighting, sound design, and incredible production design to present a world that feels timeless and slightly off. Why does this family harvest pumpkins in their backyard? Why do the parents decorate their home like a Norman Rockwell painting as seen through the eyes of Tim Burton? These are questions that are never answered but just add to the bizarre nature of this film. 

“Cobweb” is a film with multiple seismic twists and turns, but it’s never a film that is complacent and going through the motions. Every aspect of this film, from the direction to the set design to the performances from the cast feels like an auteur’s vision. No, Bodin hasn’t crafted a film that rivals the complexity and artistic flourish of Ari Aster’s “Hereditary.” But instead, “Cobweb” feels like the creation of someone who is an odd combination of Aster and M. Night Shyamalan, with a dash of James Wan. 

When the end credits roll, the audience is likely going to be a bit dumbfounded. Some will laugh at the ludicrousness of the plot. The others, the ones who might enjoy the more outlandish, quirky, and unconventional aspects of horror, will applaud this film and be excited to show it to their friends at the next Midnight Movie get-together. “Cobweb” is a cult classic in the making. A film that features plenty of thrills, scares, quality acting, and a batshit, bonkers ending for good measure. “Cobweb” might just fill you with the sadistic glee that you can only get from horror films that push the boundaries of the genre. It’s not perfect. Hell, it might not even be “good.” But “Cobweb” is an absolute delight and a blast to watch. [B+]

“Cobweb” is in theaters now.