Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Joel Moore, Amber Tamblyn, Zachary Levi | Written by Joel Moore & Jeremy Danial Boreing
UK Certification 18 | UK RRP £14.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 87 minutes | Directed by Adam Green & Joel Moore
In Spiral, Adam Green, the man behind such horror hits as Hatchet and Frozen, teams up to co-direct with Joel David Moore, who also co-wrote and stars in the movie. The result is a truly brilliant piece of work, totally refreshing and purely independent.
With Adam Green sharing the director's chair, you may think that after the success of Hatchet, Spiral would be a horror movie. Even the box art suggests that, but it really isn't. It's a psychological thriller stripped down to the very bare bones of film-making and storytelling: a good script, direction and casting. There are no shortcomings to be disguised with big-budget CGI orgies like in Transformers. With a film like this, where absolutely everything rides on the direction, script and performances, you're either a failure or a success, there's no in between. I'm very happy to report that the above three elements hit the nail on the head and what we have here is a real success.
Spiral centres on Mason, an asthmatic telemarketer who is a social recluse. An avid painter, his gutted, essentials-only apartment serves as the studio where he works on his art. When he meets a new colleague at the insurance company he works at, Mason forms a relationship where she becomes his latest project, posing as he paints her portraits. They form an unusual bond and make a mutual connection, but soon Mason is haunted by a mysterious past that leads him down a path of self-destruction.
The film is entirely character-driven and slow-paced, which may alienate some audiences if they aren't used to such a storytelling device, but that would really be a shame because the pacing is fantastic. In an awesome irony, as the details of the character of Mason grow before us, he literally takes a downward spiral into what seems to be a cloudy delusion. All does become clear in an interesting climax that delivers twists and turns, and really sets the tone for this extremely Hitchcockian thriller. It's a wonderfully written, gripping film plentiful with touches of brilliance and an outstanding performance by Moore, that makes me wonder why on Earth he didn't win any awards for his portrayal of the sad, pathetic character. It proves that he's got the whole package as an auteur and I can't wait to see what he does next when he's juggling as many roles as he had with Spiral.
EXTRAS ★ The theatrical trailer and for some reason the trailer for Psych 9 on the main menu.