Red Pill is a 2021 horror film about a group of progressives canvassing for votes in the suburban South ahead of the 2020 US election.
Written directed, produced by and starring Tonya Pinkins (Fear The Walking Dead).
The movie also stars Rubén Blades (Fear the Walking Dead), Catherine Curtin (Stranger Things), Kathryn Erbe, Colby Minifie (Fear the Walking Dead), Luba Mason, Jake O’Flaherty and Adesola Osakalumi.
Plot:
On the eve of the 2020 US Presidential election, a posse of six progressives ride into red country armed with heart, humour, and naiveté, but what they really need is heavy artillery.
When they arrive at their rental for the weekend, they find dozens of red flags… but only the non-white members of the group are experienced enough to recognize the danger.
Despite the glaring warning signs that Cassandra (Tonya Pinkins) is so keenly aware of, the group ignore the red flags and focus on their triumphant dreams of getting the vote out.
Cass urges the group to flee, but the naivete of her friends soon finds them trapped in an ever-tightening noose – surrounded on all sides by an affluent white supremacist cult whose mysterious and violent actions plunge the group into deadly peril…
Reviews:
” …Red Pill has a strong cast and a very important message. Also, this is a horror movie about the real-life horrors of the political climate. We’re dealing with “weaponization of Whiteness” and the “Becky/Karen trope”. Both of which are becoming a part of the White consciousness. And if what you just read makes absolutely no sense to you, then you probably won’t get much out of Red Pill either.” Heaven of Horror
“This dashes into politics right off the bat, with zero sense of subtlety to the dialogue or actions. The strange visuals barely contribute to the floundering narrative. When even the kills and the ending wade this deeply into aggressive opinions, it becomes hard to cheer on any of the characters.” Josh at the Movies
“Red Pill as a horror got some parts right. There is a steady ramping up in the terror the group faces, and the practical effects were competent. With a more likeable group of protagonists and more screen time for the antagonists, this would have fared a bit better. Perhaps there is some deeper meaning behind this enemy never showing their faces, however.” The Rotting Zombie
Press release blurb:
“Written, directed, and produced by Tonya Pinkins Red Pill is a scary wake-up call about American politics. The remarkably prescient film about the current political climate is profoundly relevant right now. The weaponization of Whiteness themes in the film resonate with today’s fervour, particularly during #Uprising2020 and as the Becky/Karen trope assumes a greater place in White consciousness.”
Background:
“I wrote my own personal Get Out,” says Tonya Pinkins, “#Uprising2020 is White people waking up to the world Black and Brown folks have always known. Black women are intimately familiar with “Becky” and “Karen,” White women, who on the low end of the spectrum treat us as invisible, and on the high end weaponize their whiteness and sometimes cost us our lives. Red Pill’s #Karensgonewild is a dose of what’s coming to America if liberal Whites don’t wake up.”
Release date:
Red Pill will be released on Digital by Midnight Releasing on December 3rd 2021.
Cast and characters (alphabetical):
Rubén Blades … Rocky
Catherine Curtin … Mercy
Kathryn Erbe … Lily
Tim Halvorsen … Scientist
Barbara Hunter
Luba Mason … Emelia
Alli Ryan Motley … Charity
Jake O’Flaherty … Nick
Adesola A. Osakalumi … Bobby
Ifeanyi Osili … Vop
Maija Pinkins … Maija
Tonya Pinkins … Cassandra
Trailer:
Free to watch online on YouTube:
