WIRED SHUT (2021) Reviews of pain-filled thriller – with new poster and US release news

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‘Nowhere to run. No way to scream.’

Wired Shut is a 2021 Canadian thriller about a downbeat famous novelist who is unable to talk as recovering from reconstructive jaw surgery. Ensconced in his remote mountain home he is exposed to a life-threatening secret when he receives an unexpected visit from his estranged daughter.

Directed by Alexander Sharp – making his feature debut – from a screenplay written by Peter Malone Elliott, based on Elliott and Sharp’s storyline.

The Sharp Art Pictures-Wired Shut Production movie stars Natalie Sharp (The Babysitter 2020; The Flash; Van Helsing; Supernatural series), Blake Stadel (The Babysitter 2020; Riverdale; Supernatural series; Rise of the Damned) and Behtash Fazlali (Funhouse; iZombie series; The Evil in Us).

Plot:

Famed author Reed Rodney (Blake Stadel) seems to have it all – international acclaim for his writing, a sweeping secluded mansion and money beyond his wildest dreams – but life isn’t always what it seems on the surface. Behind the glossy exterior lies the shell of a man, an alcoholic haunted by his past transgressions that destroyed his family.

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When a horrific car crash leaves him in a bad way, he faces reconstructive surgery and his jaw is wired shut, leaving him unable to speak. Forced to recover at home alone, the isolation threatens to overwhelm him… then his estranged daughter Emmy (Natalie Sharp), turns up.  Is she there to reconnect after all these years or does she have an ulterior motive?

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When a dangerous secret emerges and a menacing intruder (Behtash Fazlali) shows up, Reed and Emmy must band together to try and survive the night…

Reviews:

” …Stadel and Sharp offer strong performances that sell the father and daughter’s distance between one another; the father-daughter angle makes for an interesting twist when it comes to those striving to survive a home invasion. Compared to a lot of other films in the subgenre, Wired Shut proves to be an effective home invasion thriller with heart.” Bloody Disgusting

“It’s too long, too ponderous with nothing happening for long periods of time, and when it does the effect is as minimal as the writing, committing the worst crime a movie can commit and that is being boring. Still, nice DVD cover.” Flickering Myth

“Even when the movie has the opportunity to ramp it up and inject some life into the story, it fails to make any sort of real impact due to the disconnection between the characters and the viewer. Because of this, I found it very difficult to focus on the movie and kept clock watching which is not something you really want from a thriller that’s meant to grip you and thrust you into its world.” Horror Cult Films

“A film that moves so slowly it’s almost standing still, the plot of Wired Shut would barely make 30 minutes of television, and the technique of having every line and every action performed as slowly as possible to drag it out to feature-length just adds to the tedium on display here. There’s decent photography and the production design is the epitome of characterless and cold, presumably to reflect Reed’s soullessness. Unfortunately, it also embellishes the one-note tone of the performances that make it hard to believe any of these characters are actual people.” House of Mortal Cinema

“Where the film falters is with the introduction of a third character that robs the film of its stillness. Both Blake Stadel and Natalie Sharp excel in their respective roles of father and daughter and for a short while, Wired Shut looked to be offering something refreshingly different to the norm. Ultimately it’s art-house horror that kind of forgets the ‘horror’ part regardless of how the DVD cover art may lead you to think otherwise.” My Bloody Reviews

“Overall, more of a suspense thriller than a horror film. Not in the menacing league of Misery as far as writers in peril are concerned. Wired Shut is actually pretty tame by comparison – but it’s a decent film nonetheless.” Starburst

Release date:

In the USA, 101 Films will release Wired Shut On-Demand and Digital on November 30th 2021 with a DVD release following on January 25th 2022.

In the UK, Wired Shut was released by 101 Films on DVD and Digital on 30 August 2021.

Cast and characters:

Natalie Sharp … Emmy
Blake Stadel … Reed Rodney
Behtash Fazlali … Preston

Filming locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Technical details:

95 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1

More Canadian movies

Notes:

Ignore the obviously fake 10/10 ‘reviews’ on IMDb that have been written by members who have only reviewed this film and no others.

Trailer:

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