The Willowbrook is a 2022 American mystery thriller film about a renowned wellness influencer who invites one of her recently overdosed followers to seek recovery at her small-town manor. Once the follower arrives, she realises the dark world existing within the manor is not what she – nor millions of others –perceived from the internet.
Written and directed by Zach Koepp making his film debut. Produced by Jeffrey Reddick (Final Destination franchise), Jessica Bishop, Krista Kolegraff, Aaron Hammersley, and Greg Bekkers. Executive produced by Zach Koepp and Bethe H. Gordon.
The Rag Tag Pictures production stars Jessica Bishop, Erin Day and Lawrence J. Hughes.
Reviews:
“Zach Koepp both wrote and directed this thriller, and it’s an impressive directorial debut. While some transitions to flashbacks are a bit clumsy, overall the camerawork and aesthetic tone of the movie is consistent. Although there are some flaws in the writing, particularly in regards to a few characters, The Willowbrook has every element a thriller needs to be entertaining, and is an enjoyable watch.” 6.6 out of 10, AIPT
” …it doesn’t play into The Willowbrook’s favour that there have already been a lot of social media horror movies come out such as Unfriended and Spree which say more about the pull of social media and how it damages people. In the end, it feels like The Willowbrook has nothing new to say and it takes a long time to say it. Which for a movie that is just over an hour, may suggest that its audience turns off and does something more productive instead.” Battle Royale with Cheese
“The Willowbrook was a headache, completely devoid of mindful conversations and dialogue.” Film Fugitives
“Maybe if Koepp had just gone down a slightly more violent road the film could have been entertaining on a basic horror thriller level. The Willowbrook suffers mostly from being slow, uneventful and outright boring. There was too much potential in this premise for it to be so underwhelming and disappointing.” 2 out of 10, Lyles Movie Files
“It’s a short film at just over an hour and ten minutes and sadly the script and dialogue makes you wish it was even shorter. The acting was okay and I believe its direction was restrained by that and possibly a very low budget. There is nonetheless some mystery to The Willowbrook.” Which Film
Trailer:
Release date:
Gravitas Ventures released The Willowbrook on digital platforms on November 8, 2022.
Technical specs:
1 hour and 14 minutes
