A creature feature with a difference, this new indie chiller mixes monster thrills and horror motifs with a dark mystery concerning the nature of memory and identity. There are a lot of elements competing for attention, which leads to some odd editing and pacing choices, but writer-director Evan Showalter is keen to step outside of the formulaic template in his first full-length feature.
To her understandable distress, troubled young woman Vivian (Reese Parish) wakes up to find herself lying in an open grave deep in an isolated forest. Unable to recall how she got there, Vivian is rescued by Ellis (DeVaughn Loman), who reveals himself to be her adopted father. Ellis assures Vivian that her recurring memory loss is the result of a recent accident from which she is recuperating. But as she continues to be afflicted by alarming visions, hallucinations and dreams, and Ellis’s behaviour becomes more concerning, Vivian begins to doubt whether anything or anyone can be trusted.
With its fragmented timeline and jagged visual narrative, courtesy of director of photography Amarillys Velasquez, The Leaching aims to build a brooding, unsettling atmosphere into which occasional shocks can be injected to maximum impact. Velasquez’s good work is partly undone by an ill-suited musical score, some questionable plotting, and excessive, energy-draining exposition.
That said, Parish makes for a relatable and believable survivor. Showalter has high aspirations for his first full movie, insisting that it explores questions of faith, family and the vulnerabilities that come from believing those closest to you. That’s perhaps a little ambitious, given The Leaching’s old-school B-movie beats – not to mention its skimpy 76-minute runtime. But this is a serviceable calling-card directorial debut.
THE LEACHING is available now on streaming platforms in the US; a UK release is TBC.
