Quadrant bills itself as an unholy blend of steampunk, horror, and sci-fi. That is not far from the truth. Directed by Full Moon Features founder Charles Band, the story is about a VR device that takes its users to where their nightmares and phobias are real. It seems like a great way to help people overcome their fears until a female serial killer named Erin (Shannon Helene Barnes) uses the helmet to stalk her prey and channel the legacy of Jack the Ripper.
Full Moon Features and Band are names that are synonymous with a certain type of horror movie. With franchises like Puppet Master and titles such as Corona Zombies, the films give audiences as many laughs as they do scares. Quadrant veers in a slightly different direction. It is part of the Pulp Noir sub-label at Full Moon whose catalog is described as darker, weirder, and edgier.
Unironically describing yourself in those terms is usually a bad sign. Perhaps surprisingly, that is not the case with Quadrant. The plot deals with a topical issue in AI and even poses the question of what role technology plays in evil. Neither is uncharted territory, but it is a wildly different direction from a company that has produced a series about a killer cookie.
There is even some nuance to the filmmaking. The over the top gore is still to be found, but the movie uses black and white to harken back to Victorian London. It is a nice touch that goes in the opposite direction of most VR scenes which tend to use dazzling colors and lights. It makes for an unexpectedly stylish watch.
There are some missteps along the way. As with many slashers, the killer is the most interesting person. Erin melds together sex and horror and makes for a great villain. The main issue with Quadrant is that there are no strong supporting characters. It makes it harder to get invested when there is no one to care for. Even more frustrating are some potentially interesting subplots that are left untouched.
This is to be expected from a film that barely runs over an hour. And the 400th release from Full Moon Features is definitely unlike any before it. Quadrant manages to be clever, thought-provoking, violent and sexy.
Quadrant is now available on Prime Video, Tubi and Full Moon Features
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