There’s an undeniable air of unease wafting about the somewhat claustrophobic bathroom where “We Need to Do Something” largely occurs. From the opening aerial shots of the small town setting soundtracked by an ominous tornado siren to the tension present amongst the cast’s central four family members seeking shelter from the storm, it’s hard not to feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable as the old school horror font of the credits transition into a situation initially believed to be nothing more than severe weather that clearly hides something far more sinister. Filmed last year during the height of the pandemic, it’s hard to avoid the film’s stab at a well-timed take on our society’s response to COVID-19 and the isolation it’s brought to so many. Still, the resulting product may be something akin to a frothy mix of any movie we’ve seen where the main character(s) spend the duration in confinement with a dash of cinematic witchcraft sprinkled liberally on top. Alas, any potential or promise quickly falls victim to confusion, shaky dialogue, and endless amounts of yelling; this is but a summary, and further investigation is sadly quite necessary.
Flashbacks attempt to fill in the gaps-we see daughter Melissa (Sierra McCormick) and her budding relationship with girlfriend Amy (Lisette Alexis), both of whom bring an unfortunate amount of emotional baggage to the table both literally and figuratively as they decide the best way to exact revenge on those who’ve caused them pain is via the casting of some sort of magic spell. Yes, it’s presumed their activities may somehow be the cause of whatever cataclysm is currently descending on their hometown, and yet lacks a modicum of information that could have supported this plotline for the better. As we smash cut repeatedly back into the bathroom where Melissa, her parents Diane (Vinessa Shaw) & Robert (Pat Healy), and younger brother Bobby (John James Cronin) have all taken refuge and are subsequently trapped within when a downed tree blocks the doorway, we find ourselves attempting to piece together exactly why, for starters, Robert is filled with such rage from the moment the film begins; maybe it’s a seemingly crippling dependency on alcohol, his apparent marital issues that the film refuses to examine for more than a few minutes, or possibly implied disappointment in his children that again begs further explanation but fails to produce anything that serves to answer any major questions. Whatever the case may be, his hair-trigger temper and eventual descent into a manic persona stolen from the toolbox of any overacting high school drama student desperate to play a compelling villain appear to encapsulate the entirety of his character and another example of where some sort of additional backstory is so badly needed.
Luckily, the scenes in between do their best to maintain the unsettling atmosphere, bolstered by such moments where a rattlesnake twice infiltrates their hideout and the frenzy that ensues, or when troubling off-camera sounds as gunfire, loud otherworldly footsteps from the floors above, and even a bizarre, raspy voice emanating from the other side of the walls make their presence often enough to keep things at least somewhat interesting. Though said voice sounds more like a failed audition for the lead in any ‘80s-era slasher romp and might unintentionally produce more of a chuckle as opposed to a scream, these all-too-brief trademarks of a decent thriller help to inject some momentum even if it does take a good half hour before they begin. Up until then, the establishing plotlines are set forth rather clumsily, all of which could use more substance before being interrupted by another of Robert’s classic outbursts.
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Sean King O’Grady helmed the film, and while he’s able to accidentally stagger into moments where the unusual story can’t help but suck in the audience, and the small cast occasionally produces flashes of sincere greatness, in particular an astoundingly intense third act passage where Diane tearfully reminisces about her children before several segues into some upsetting hallucinations that end up almost effective amongst the layers of cheese that threaten to completely envelope what could have been some truly haunting imagery. Regrettably, it all ultimately finds a way to again stumble blindly around the ancient pink tiles of the bathroom set with far too much reliance on the ability of the viewer to use the limits of their own mind in an effort to complete the story before culminating in an unforeseen orgy of gore that’s strange simply for the sake of being strange. There’s something present here, something perhaps even brilliant, but whatever that may be; it’s just not enough. [C-]