Infinity Poolis a thriller movie coming soon to theaters written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård ofThe Northmanfame as a tourist taking a vacation at an exclusive luxury resort. While staying there, things slowly descend into madness as Skarsgård gets wrapped up in a nightmare come to life with some realEyes Wide Shutvibes to the trailer.
It doesn’t appear to be a straight-up horror movie. It seems instead to be going for an unsettling take on what’s beneath the seemingly innocent surface of a luxury resort. Mia Goth, who recently starred in Ti West’sPearl, also stars in the movie as an antagonist of sorts. But why exactly should you care about any of that? Why is this movie worth your time? What follows should answer both those questions.
Horror Runs in the Family
Brandon Cronenberg is heading this one up. For those not aware, his father is famous. David Cronenberg can easily be called the king of surrealist horror, withan extensive list of moviesover the last 50 years that have been one of the high benchmarks of the genre. It’s even harder to believe that the same guy is still making movies at 80 when he could easily hang his hat on horror classics likeThe FlyandScanners. All this being said, it’s tough to not only be his kid but then be a filmmaker knowing that anything you do will draw comparisons from critics to your father’s catalog. He can’t really escape this legacy,nor does he intend to.
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Like all the movies in his career so far, Brandon writing and directing this one which should excite people. Movies with the same screenwriter and director typically end up feeling more focused as the person who wrote it knows exactly how it should be adapted to the screen. He’s also bringing along his longtime cinematographer Karim Hussain who has worked with him
Brandon Cronenberg’s Filmography Is Memorable
What he has done so far,AntiviralandPossessor, have been trips into pure madness. He delights in the shocking and bizarre. The plot ofAntiviralsaw people lining up at medical clinics to get infected with a sample of the same disease as their favorite celebrity. But when a man working at the clinic smuggles the terminal disease of a particularly famous celebrity outinside his own body, everyone wants a piece.
Possessorin particular deserves a lot more praise and attention than it ended up getting and has a real thriller edge to it. The movie also isn’t a straight horror, but the basic idea is terrifying. The set-up is that Andrea Riseborough’s character, Tasya Vos, hijacks other people’s bodies to commit the assassination of key targets. No one is really safe and it’s an untraceable crime to the real perpetrators. The wrinkle in the movie is that the process is mentally scarring and unstable.
What’s also neat about this film is that Cronenberg did all the special effects practically. Everything you see is done in-camera which lends a fever dream quality to it. There are parts that will make most audiences uncomfortable, much to Cronenberg’s joy. It’s a pretty thrilling ride from start to finish and is worth a watch for anyone wanting a movie that has you on your toes for the entire runtime.
It Earned the Coveted NC-17 Rating
Moviegoers should rejoice on this one. Something to push the limits is always welcome. While it has been edited down to an R in the months since then, it did initially have to cut some of the gratuitousness out of its runtime thatmade it NC-17.
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While it may very well go to streaming services unrated and uncut, it is a shame that they didn’t choose to release the film with that banner in its complete form. While it may appear to be a death knell to theaters that will air it, they should think twice when movies likeTerrifier 2can pull in such a significant amount of money after releasing it as unrated.
A Surreal Horror Film
Slasher films are a bit like your basic pizza, pretty much always decent. Creepy slow-burn atmosphere films likeThe Witchare a cut above that for sure. But what may be above both in terms of memorability and originality is the glorious surrealist horror film. Sure, they may not always be good, but you will remember them well.
Take Luca Guadagnino’sSuspiria(2018) for example. The film itself debuted to divisive reviews and you either love it or hate it but the way that it builds on top of itself so unrelentingly makes it feel unnerving without even doing much that’s scary. You’re sort of strapped in for the dark ride with no say in where it goes and no possible idea of how it’s going to end. you’re able to hate this film but if you don’t look at pretzels differently after viewing, you must have fallen asleep. It’s a way to get out of the cookie-cutter mold that movies can fall victim to.
That appears to be just whatthis movie is trying to do. Something to shake you up and see something unique and even disturbing. As with his previous movies, he aims to paint a picture of something somewhat feasible to then twist it horribly much like an incredible episode ofThe Twilight Zone. With the trailers' flashing images, creepy atmosphere, and unpredictable nature, this one promises to be another unforgettable Brandon Cronenberg experience.
