Masquerade is a 2021 American thriller about a young girl struggling to survive a home invasion by artwork thieves.
Written and directed by Shane Dax Taylor (Isolation; Bloodworth; The Grey). The Racer Entertainment production stars Bella Thorne (Habit; Girl; I Still See You; Assassination Nation; The Babysitter and sequel), Skyler Samuels, Mircea Monroe and Austin Nichols.
Plot:
Eleven-year-old Casey (Alyvia Alyn Lind) must survive the night after a group of intruders, led by Rose (Bella Thorne), break into her family’s home to steal their priceless artwork. The stakes are high as the crew will stop at nothing to get what they want until a shocking twist ending…
Jordan Fields, Shout!’s VP Acquisitions commented: “With Masquerade, Shane Dax Taylor pulls off a dazzling cinematic sleight of hand that caps this tense, taut thriller. The cast, led by a dynamic and brooding Bella Thorne, is highly effective in Taylor’s dark tale of truth and consequences.”
Reviews:
“So much effort gets spent on the hook that everything that came before lacks any life […] With lifeless performances, a distinct lack of suspense or scares, and a by-the-numbers plot […] This home invasion thriller pretends to be far less tedious than it really is.” Bloody Disgusting
” …the film only runs around 75 minutes. There is not a lot of time to cover up plot holes Masquerade is a lot of fun, and it brings a lot of thrills and chills with its pace and mood music. My biggest complaint is I am still unsure about the twisty final act. The ending is a head-scratcher for me.” Bulletproof Action
” …it’s just plain dull. Masked thieves creeping around rooms, pulling out tools, pulling paintings off walls, and cutaways to the girl hiding with a hand over her mouth make up a majority of the runtime. Meanwhile, Bella Thorne spends her scenes either behind one of those masks or behind the wheel playing chauffeur to the couple. Your boredom will eliminate any investment in the outcome well before the premise finally pays off.” Culture Crypt
” …risks alienating a significant subset of his audience once the Big Reveal hits, especially as said audience might feel like they’ve been deceived or fooled […] Even with that potential misstep, Masquerade never outstays its welcome, delivering a fleet-footed, swift-moving home-invasion thriller with just enough tension, suspense, and conflict to justify its slim 80-minute running time.” Screen Anarchy
“Masquerade ends up being seventy minutes of boredom capped off by ten minutes that want to be shocking and edgy but merely feel cynical. It’s not even worth checking out when it ends up on Tubi. And if you’re intending to watch it because of Thorne, be warned, she’s barely in it until the end.” Voices from the Balcony
Release date:
Masquerade will be released by Shout! Studios on Digital, On-Demand and theatrically in select locations on July 30, 2021.
Cast and characters:
Bella Thorne … Rose
Mircea Monroe … Olivia
Alyvia Alyn Lind … Casey
Austin Nichols … Daniel
Skyler Samuels … Woman
Joana Metrass … Sofia
Michael Proctor … Patrick
Ana Rodas … Nanny
Filming locations:
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Trailer:
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MOVIES & MANIA says:
Masquerade begins promisingly with an intriguing home invasion heist set-up. Unfortunately, this supposed ‘thriller’ soon descends into a tortuously drawn-out game of cat and mouse between the incompetent thieves and an increasingly assertive eleven-year-old girl played well by Alyvia Alyn Lind that lacks any suspense.
The only focal point of interest is the openly heralded twist ending involving Bella Thorne’s character, seemingly designed to instil some kind of audience identification. However, the twist just smacks of banal plot manipulation rather than anything genuinely engaging. Don’t allow Masquerade into your home unless you really are desperate for anything to watch.
