‘Family is served.’
Broil is a 2020 American horror Feature film about a dysfunctional family of demons vying to control the future of their wealth.
Directed by Edward Drake (Cosmic Sin; Breach; Animals) from a screenplay co-written with Piper Mars, the 308 Ent-Good Complex production stars Timothy V. Murphy (The Trees Have Eyes; Tragedy Girls; Spiders), Lochlyn Munro (Dead Voices; Penance; Dracula 2000), Jonathan Lipnicki (Beware the Lake; Circus Kane; Beast of the Bering Sea) and Alyson Bath (Girl House; Evil Feed).
Plot:
A listless grand-daughter, Chance Sinclair (Avery Konrad), is sentenced to live with her draconian grand-father, August (Timothy V. Murphy) after a violent incident at school and begins to question the source of her families immense wealth and power.
When Chance’s scheming Mom, June (Annette Reilly), hires a troubled chef, Sydney (Johnathan Lipnicki), to poison August, the family’s monstrous secrets are revealed over the course of one bloody night. Every soul is up for grabs as The Sinclair Family Games Night gets underway and Chance learns that being apart of this family is a blood-in, blood-out proposition…
Reviews:
There is really nothing potential viewers need to know in advance about Broil beyond the brief and intriguing opening plot teaser above. To say anything more would ruin the revelations in its unique and rapidly unfolding scenario which is divided into chapters such as ‘A Killer Recipe’. Any consideration of the conspiracies and feverish family betrayals that are revealed would go into serious spoiler territory. Trust me, review brevity is best in this case.
Largely set in a suitably monstrous mansion atop a verdant hill, Edward Drake’s somewhat elliptical film unfolds with the use of flash-forwards and backwards, some rapidly edited sections and is dominated throughout by Hugh Wielenga’s brooding soundtrack score (which is occasionally too loud). It’s a heady cinematic brew, for sure, but after some initially baffling set-up scenes, it soon rewards attentive viewers with a focal feast scene that is genuinely gripping in its intensity due to the poison-filled murderous intrigue that unravels around the table. Betrayal, vitriol and an other-worldly onslaught ensue thereafter and it’s a tantalising treat to behold. Some pernickety viewers may be disappointed by the family’s supernatural origins but traditional horror genre genealogy be “damned”, originality makes for a change, even if it’s somewhat fuzzy.
The cast is all on fine form, especially Timothy V. Murphy as the domineering demonic patriarch: “The Sinclairs are gifted. We have gifts that others don’t have. A purpose” he declares knowingly at one point. Meanwhile, Jonathan Lipnicki is compelling as the seemingly autistic young chef who is alternately subdued and then enraged and who harbours a dark secret. In the central role, Avery Konrad is a treat as feisty Chance, a confused teen who gradually learns that she doesn’t just suffer from a rare skin condition that requires a blood transfusion every day.
Broil is a refreshing delight. It’s filled with twists and turns that make other movies based around murder-filled meals such as The Dinner Party seem positively staid. Plus, after all the Machiavellian machinations and mayhem, there’s an ending that’s genuinely touching. Make sure you partake of Broil‘s pleasures as soon as you can.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES and MANIA
Other reviews:
“Broil offers an original and interesting story about dysfunctional families and family disputes over wealth and power, that fall far from being able to exploit its potential mainly for not correctly focusing its ideas. Although the story suffers from being all over the place, it is interesting and entertaining, especially the final stretch and the unexpected and emotive outcome.” 10th Circle
“Partially a horror film, the characters act in deviant ways, but there is no real terror or tension here. This viewer was hoping for a few more surprises or twists. But, the film mostly settles for family infighting (in cinema, or otherwise), which is rarely entertaining. Finally, director Drake has seen a few too many music videos.” 28 Days Later Analysis
“While Broil didn’t quite hit all the right notes for me, it was certainly more than worth my time. The performances are engrossing, the story is intriguing, though I wish there were more of it, and the production values are noteworthy.” Crypt Teaze
“Broil jumps between Chance and the Chef, filling in their backstories whilst mommy and daddy get to work assassinating August. Swinging between different POVs and timelines can be distracting to begin with, but once you get in to the groove of it, Broil turns out to be a neat little horror.” HNN
” …there are problems in Broil as it rotates its ever-changing Rubik’s cube of intrigue. The film relies heavily on the audience’s patience as it withholds information, saving it to reveal later. This creates a fun experience for those simply watching the movie, but an irritable one for anyone trying to piece together a linear narrative […] That doesn’t mean Broil is bereft of all charm, in fact, it has plenty of delicious twists and clever ideas.” Horror Obsessive
Release:
Broil was released online in the USA on VOD by Well Go Entertainment on July 5, 2020. Blu-ray and DVD versions will be released on October 13, 2020.
In the UK, FrightFest Presents and Signature Entertainment release Broil on Digital platforms on 15th February 2021.
Cast and characters:
Timothy V. Murphy … August Sinclair
Lochlyn Munro … Freddie Oaks
Jonathan Lipnicki … Sydney
Alyson Bath … May Sinclair
Catherine Lough Haggquist … January Sinclair
Abby Ross … Lady Hellfire
John Cassini … February Sinclair
Phoebe Miu … April Sinclair
Jenna Berman … Dakota McKellen
Megan Peta Hill … Adelaide McKellen
Avery Konrad … Chance Sinclair
Corey Large … November Sinclair
Annette Reilly … June Sinclair
Matthew Nelson-Mahood … Joe
Lyric Kennedy … Sabine
Maxime Beauchamp … Mister Teacher
Everly Large … Chloe the Kid
Agathe Girard … Aggie the Parent
Berlin Lu … Mugga Brad
Nevin Burkholder … Kyle the Impatient
Ahmed Mogharbel … Cousin Flake 1
Vincent Galano … Cousin Flake 2
Ben Heidi … August the Demon (as Heidi Ben)
Edward Drake … King of Horns
Catherine Lough Haggquist … January Sinclair
Samantha Hum … Geraldine Assisi
Mitchell Baker … Pauly
Trevor Lerner … O.G. Pauly (as Trevor Learner)
Lochlyn Munro … Freddie Oaks
Tracey Roath … Carolina
Jed Weiss … Barry Berkman (as Jedd Weiss)
Justin Snowball … Deckard Rickson (uncredited)
Filming locations:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Technical details:
90 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Our own rating: