New in select theaters from Arrow Films!

THRESHOLD (2020)

Directed by Powell Robinson, Patrick Robert Young.
Written by Patrick Robert Young.
Starring Madison West, Joey Millin, Nadine Sondej-Robinson, Daniel Abraham Stevens, John Terrell
Find out more about this film here!

Leo (Joey Millin) is called away from his wife and child to check in on his sister Virginia (Madison West) who has a history of drug addiction and has gone missing. Once he tracks her down, Leo finds out that Virginia is not strung out, but has been cursed and spiritually connected to a stranger by a cult who told her they would be able to help her addiction. So Leo and Virginia take to the road to track down this strange man she is connected to and the cult that cast the spell.

I liked THRESHOLD. I really did. The characters were interesting. The relationship between the two of them were fun and worth investing in. The premise is compelling. And I really loved the way the film focused on smaller details, smaller moments, and small diversions to tell an intimate story about a brother and sister testing how strong their love with one another is. It’s a strong tale of siblings and having a sibling myself, I am always attracted to these types of stories.

That said, this is barely a horror film. Yes there is a premise that the protagonist is cursed—that she basically feels any sensation, including pain, ecstasy, emotions, and thoughts that the person she has been linked to feels. This is a fantastic concept and one that leads to a riveting story as Virginia feels everything she is bonded with feels and that person experiences a range of different sensations as they try to track him down. But it’s not one that lends to a very vivid story visually and the bond is only important part of the time as Virginia spends most of the run-time just kind of having a road trip with her brother. Sure, this makes for some interesting drama, but it’s not good horror. The film only dives into horror in the last four or five bizarre moments when Virginia and Leo come face to face with who she is bonded with and the cult that bonded them. This is truly strange and visually compelling in a twisted sort of way. It almost makes up for the banal rest of the film, but not by much as the film pretty much ends immediately after the confrontation occurs. Still, even though the final seconds go into the bowels of horror territory, if 97% of your film is simply a brother and sister relationship drama, it’s going to be disappointing to those who took a chance with this film because it is labeled as a horror film.

THRESHOLD has a great premise. It offers up some compelling characters and the actors playing them are really good. Madison West looks like a young Meryl Streep and has great acting chops. As does Joey Millin who reminds me of a young Rob Morrow. The acting is top notch. The story develops them well. But if you’re looking for horror, you’re going to have to sift through the drama in order to finally get to it in the final, twisted moments. Those moments are pretty awesome, but I think some are going to find the trip to get to them rather disappointing.

Check out the trailer here!!