Reviewing Horror movies is difficult sometimes. This is mostly because saying you like Horror movies is basically the same as saying you like Rock Music. Horror is such a wide spectrum that it’s impossible to be a fan of them all.
I like bad cheesy horror. My favorite films contain such memorable titles as Alligator, Sleepaway Camp and Dolls. Psychology Horror films are a genre I don’t particularly love but I enjoy when they’re done well.
Sun Choke is a Psychological Horror film done well.
Sun Choke is a layered and disturbing slow-burn that will absolutely fill you with an uncomfortable sense of dread. This is because star Sarah Hagen (Freaks & Geeks) is the perfect casting to make you sympathize throughout.
Sun Choke borrows elements of some famous 70’s horror classics. It has a very 70’s art-house feel with its use of colors, mood and tone but if there’s one comparable element that stands out it’s how much Hagen’s performance channels a modern day Carrie White.
Sarah’s character Janie is a tortured, timid girl. She’s pushed around by her mother and is trying to break free and experience the world. Years of captivity has potentially made her a very dangerous person to know. When things are bad for Sarah you feel for her. You empathize with her so strongly that when the tables turn you genuinely feel emotionally torn.
The last 15 minutes I was on the edge of my seat. Deep down knowing things probably aren’t going to end well, feeling the sympathy for Janie but hoping that she won’t continue down the path of destruction she created in front of herself.
This is why I prefer the cheesy. I like the escape. I want to laugh at a giant rubber monster or some dumb dialogue spouted out by a 30 year old playing a teenager. Sun Choke doesn’t have any of that. What it does have is some of the most genuine psychological anguish in 2016.
Sun Choke is now available on VOD and is absolutely worth watching this week.