In the new movie WOUNDS, Armie Hammer plays a New Orleans bartender who picks up a phone left behind by a group of college students, and naturally, begins rooting through it. But soon he realizes that this is no ordinary phone, and eventually some pretty terrifying and nasty stuff begins happening all around him. In the new trailer for the horror flick co-starring Dakota Johnson and Zazie Beetz, we see a cavalcade of this freaky images, including far, far too many cockroaches. And you thought your phone was a piece of crap, amiright? Guys? Anyone?
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Directed by Babak Anvari after his 2016 indie hit UNDER THE SHADOW, the movie premiered at Sundance this year to much horror fanfare, where it was soon picked up by Annapurna. However, the reception to the movie wasn't as kind as Anvari's first outing, with middling reviews praising some of the creepier elements and the performances, but not much else. As well, Annapurna has had some financial troubles as of late, which is probably why Hulu is now the one stepping in to release the film as opposed to a theatrical launch.
Our own Chris Bumbray wrote in his review out of Sundance how he appreciated some horror aspects, but was left disappointed overall:
As far as the horror aspect goes, WOUNDS has some nicely grotesque imagery, with cockroaches being the big creepy selling point, although the gore is nothing you haven’t seen before. The whole premise of Will finding the cellphone and the otherworldly aspect feels derivative. It's just a watered down version of something you’ve seen done a lot better before. WOUNDS is not unwatchable, but it’s a major let down, especially considering the quality of Anvari’s other work.
For a genre movie like this that is probably the way to go. Set for a release on October 18 there is plenty of more competition on the market, and this way horror fans can hunt it down, turn down their lights, and have fun with all the insanity. Indeed, this movie looks bonkers what with all the grotesque imagery, with all sorts of stuff in the trailer alone to send the shivers up your arms.
WOUNDS is on Hulu October 18.