- Director: John Berardo
- Writer: John Berardo
- Stars: Isabella Gomez, Jack Sochet, Lindsay Lavanchy, Shireen Lai
REVIEW
There’s something about the glossy charm of Old Hollywood that makes homicide seem extra shocking and The Mannequin immediately leans into that with a cold open that introduces a slimy photographer and a model who doesn’t take kindly to his suggestion of doing a few poses without her clothing. Unfortunately, she will be brutally murdered for this and as we see her body part fused with a mannequin, we enter into present day and meet Sophia, a fashion designer who is looking for the perfect spot to set up her future clothing empire. Unknowingly choosing the very warehouse where we saw the aforementioned murder occur, Sophia is so happy to have such a large and well-lit space that it never occurs to her to second guess why a mannequin has been left on the premises.
Anyone with even a small amount of horror movie acumen can guess how this will play out: the mannequin is going to wreak havoc of the supernatural kind on Sophia and her friends and family. Though the setup seems like a fertile playground for B-movie camp, The Mannequin takes itself rather seriously and chooses to focus on the dynamics between Sophia and her sister Liana and, by extension, the way their mutual friends behave when the haunted mannequin starts causing bodily harm that is, at times, fatal. In fact, so much time is spent with Liana and her mental and emotional journey that you can easily forget you’re watching a horror film at all. As people begin to square off over who’s grief is more severe and who deserves to be the most depressed, the mannequin starts taking people out, and thank goodness, because there is far too much talk about feelings in this movie. That being said, Isabella Gomez does bring a rawness into her portrayal of Liana that works well against the pragmatic nature of Nadine (Shireen Lai) and the hippy/dippy therapeutic speak of Hazel (Lindsay LaVanchy). This is a friend group that feels lived in and real.
The final thirty minutes is when all of the action happens. A character from earlier in the movie is brought in as an expert of sorts. Essentially, it feels like an episode of Supernatural stuffed into a shorter run time and with only a quarter of the charisma. There is so much good in the film, but the focus on interpersonal dynamics takes away from the backstory of the mannequin and the building in general. The Mannequin could have been a fun, thoughtful and somewhat campy horror movie, but its self-seriousness makes it more of a relationship drama that has a side of paranormal.
Available on Digital, VOD, Blu-Ray and DVD on October 14
Lisa Fremont
Leave a Reply