‘Some things you can’t unsee’
Don’t Click is a 2020 Canadian horror film about two young men who wake up to find themselves in a dungeon with an evil entity.
Directed by G-Hey Kim – making her feature debut – from a screenplay written by Courtney Ellum, based on Kim’s 2017 short of the same name, the movie stars Valter Skarsgård, Mark Koufos, Catherine Howard and Ry Barrett. Executive produced by aforementioned Courtney Ellum and George Mihalka (director of The Psychic; Eternal Evil and My Bloody Valentine 1981)
Plot:
Twenty-one-year-old Josh (Valter Skarsgard) tries to convince his roommate and best friend, Zane (Mark Koufos), to join him at a party. Zane declines the invitation, claiming he has to study. However, he surfs the web instead and a graphic pop-up catches his attention.
When Josh comes back to an empty apartment, he finds that Zane’s laptop is still open but there’s no sign of his friend. Josh then passes out after the laptop starts flashing and he wakes up in a dank cellar with no way out…
Reviews:
“Ultimately, the film is a mixed effort, hindered from reaching top speeds by budgetary constraints and a lacking depth to many of its messages that would have been brought to light with some digging into the characters and plot. Horror fans will find a fascinating watch, but one that wears its flaws in some obvious ways.” Blood Brothers
” …while it may lack the time needed to do justice to the themes at its core. The result is nothing short of a horrifying exploration of individual responsibility in an open, online world. At the same time dissecting the ability of humans to differentiate between reality, fiction, ethics and instant pleasure, in an evermore clouded digital realm.” Cinerama Film Online
” …a vital morality lesson about the perils of screen entertainment […] The film does look back to the era of New French Extremity cinema, such as Demonlover and Martyrs, but also to early noughties J-horror, the Saw franchise, Eli Roth’s Hostel series, and does so with a furrowed brow and concerned look…” CineVue
” …poor Valter slums it in some Poor Man’s Hellraiser knockoff that looks like it was filmed in a studio apartment for the price of an Arby’s roast beef sandwich. Don’t Click is based on a short film. That fact becomes painfully apparent quickly, as the glacial pace wheezes to prolong a paper-thin plot. Rarely does a brief 75-minute runtime struggle this much to find something interesting to fill it.” Culture Crypt
“It boils down to just another tortured-in-a-basement movie and is weirdly reticent about the kind of toxic masculinity it seems to have in its sights. It’s gruesome and horrible, but also sullen and slow – trudging through atrocities until it stops, which I suppose is a relief.” The Kim Newman Web Site
Release:
In the USA, Don’t Click is released theatrically in select locations and on VOD on December 11th 2020 by Gravitas Ventures.
Cast and characters:
Valter Skarsgård … Josh
Mark Koufos … Zane
Catherine Howard … Maya
Ry Barrett … Tom
May Grehan … Shannon
Samantha Hart … Red-Headed Woman
Dayjan Lesmond … Dom-Man
Geoff Mays … Salary Man
Derrick Rabethge … Dom-Teacher
Erica Sherwood … Schoolgirl
Technical details:
77 minutes
Trailer:
