From Black deals with a number of heavy themes. Cora (Anna Camp, Pitch Perfect) is a recovering drug addict who is saddled with guilt after her son’s disappearance. She is jaded, alone, and ready to give up all hope. It is at her lowest point that she is presented with an offer to learn the truth about what happened. But is she willing to pay the terrifying price?
The loss of a child is a horrible experience for any parent. From Black attempts to address the effects on a parent who feels they are to blame. The film deals with grief, mental health, and coping mechanisms. It is a lot to take on, but writers Jessub Flower and Thomas Marchese (who also directed) manage to juggle everything, initially.
A lot of this is due to Camp who is fantastic as a woman who has suffered immensely and is basically a shell of a person. Even though she has been beaten down by life, she is still strong willed and passionate. She is cloaked in cynicism, but she still has something left. Wisely, the first act of From Black focuses on Cora and how she is managing to get through life. It provides a level of depth rarely seen in horror, but important in a story dealing with topics this heavy. It is when it becomes a full blown scary movie that the cracks begin to show.
Pacing is a constant issue that becomes more noticeable as things progress. The beginning moves quickly before slowing down to a crawl. This is forgivable since From Black is introducing then developing its story and characters. Later, it is more intrusive and leads to a feeling of the movie not knowing what type of story it wants to be. From Black switches between jump scare drive horror and more patient character study. Neither is bad, but the tonal changes can be jarring.
This is seen most in the relationship between Cora and her sister. Jennifer Lafleur (Nope) is excellent as Cora’s cop sister Bray, but she never obtains the emotional gravitas the film is aiming for. Much like the rest of From Black, it is a good idea in theory that falls flat in execution.
From Black premieres on Shudder April 28
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