Dir: Kiah Roache-Turner
Cast: Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Penelope Mitchell, Robyn Nevin, Noni Hazelhurst, Silvia Colloca, Danny Kim, Jermaine Fowler
It may not be the most ground-breaking horror flick but this arachnid creature feature is a mildly entertaining B-movie throwback
Ever since the release of Jennifer Kent‘s rather brilliant debut “The Babadook” in 2014, there has been an influx of arthouse horror movies, referred to by audiences as ‘elevated horror’. This subgenre of what has historically been otherwise a pretty straight forward cinematic experience, has given audiences plenty more to chew on with deeper thematic elements, touching on increasingly relevant political and social issues. This has seen the rise of several auteur filmmakers such as Jordan Peele, Ari Aster and Robert Eggers.
As much as I have loved seeing this talented filmmakers break onto the scene by producing some of the greatest and occasionally most traumatising horrors of all time, it has come at a cost as we have seen the number of old school B-movie schlock dwindle over the years. While they may not offer the same emotional and mental challenge of the more modern horror experiences, creature features of old do provide joyous levels of nonsensical escapism that cannot be rivalled.
The latest in what appears to be a dying subgenre is that of “Sting“, an Australian production by “Wyrmwood” creator, Kiah Roache-Turner. Like many post “Poltergeist” gateway horrors, “Sting” follows a nuclear family’s strained relationship, with the primary focus on angsty 12 year-old Charlotte (Alyla Browne) and her conflicted relationship with stepdad Ethan (Ryan Corr). The pair along with Charlotte’s mother Heather (Penelope Mitchell) and baby half-brother Liam, live in a dilapidated New York apartment ran by the questionably accented landlady Gunter (Robyn Nevin).
Often left to her own devices, Charlotte stumbles across a tiny arachnid hatched from a strange otherworldly egg, that has crash landed in the apartment of her great aunt Helga (Noni Hazelhurst). An intrigued Charlotte keeps the spider as a pet, naming it after the Elven sword “Sting” from J.R.R. Tolkien‘s “The Hobbit”, another franchise with creature effects by Weta Workshop. As Charlotte cares for Sting, the spider begins to grow at an alarming rate, killing several pets and residents within the apartment block, arousing suspicion and causing increased tension between Charlotte and her family.
As far as a modern horror flick goes, “Sting” is a very stripped back genre piece, with very little character work other than the by-the-book reconciliation arc between Charlotte and Ethan. We are presented with a host of colourful characters, including Jermain Fowler‘s wisecracking exterminator Frank, only for most of them to meet a gruesome fate at the fangs of the titular eight legged monster. That being said, Charlotte and Ethan are given more than enough breathing space to make their characters relatively sympathetic, making their tender albeit predictable reunion a satisfying payoff.
The predominantly Australian cast understood the memo of this late night picture house horror but it mostly serves as another strong showcase for Alyla Browne. The talented young Aussie transitions from troublesome pre-teen to badass heroine throughout the refreshingly short 90 minute runtime, channelling her inner Ellen Ripley as she wanders the building’s preposterously large ventilation system, Super Soaker in hand, as if it was the dark depths of the Nostromo. It has been a breakout month for Browne, with this starring role coming off the back of her excellent performance as a young Furiosa in the latest entry in George Miller‘s “Mad Max” franchise.
The other star of “Sting” is of course the creature itself, and for the most part the uncomfortably large arachnid is rendered enough to get under your skin, quite literally in one particular scene. However, the design itself remains pretty safe, Weta clearly opted for the standard Black Widow aesthetic, when plenty more fun could have been had given the creature’s extra-terrestrial origins. The claustrophobic apartment block setting is also relatively effective in recreating the isolating horror of Ridley Scott‘s 1979 classic “Alien”, which “Sting” references on more than one occasion.
It may not offer the scares or gore to keep most horror aficionados satisfied but “Sting” would make for a gateway horror for those younger audiences looking to first explore the genre. There is little to no substance and will be forgotten not long after the credits begin to roll but as a piece of relatively fun and entertainingly dumb B-movie schlock, it does the job and would make a great companion piece with the recent French spider horror “Infested”.
Sting is now now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
Great reviews as always. I’m not a huge fan of the horror movie genre, so I’m not sure whether this is a film that I will rush to see. That being said, this film does sound promising based on the immense talents of the cast involved. Alyla Browne is a fantastic young actress that blew me away with her exceptional performance in “Furiosa”. That was such a challenging role for an actress her age to portray, but she pulled it off so well. She managed to capture the trauma felt by a young Furiosa through strong expressions. She is definitely a promising young actress that seems destined a bright future in the film industry. So, I’m still not sure if I will enjoy “Sting” but might see it for the actress alone.
Here’s why I loved “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”:
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Wonderful review. I am really curious about this movie and I really hope to see it in my country too.
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