Tags:
Film: R BnB
Year: 2023
Director: Robert Mann
Writer: Robert Mann
Starring: Ryon Thomas, Bryanna McQueeney and Gloria Mann
Review:
This is a movie that I got the chance to see thanks to Kim from Dominion3. I’ll be honest, for these screeners I tend to ensure they’re in horror and 2023 releases before checking them out. I don’t like to influence my thoughts by reading synopsis or anything like that. For this, I did see the title and knew that this would take place at a Bed and Breakfast. That usually means isolation and I’m there for that.
Synopsis: a wealthy Manhattan couple celebrates their first-year wedding anniversary at a secluded Airbnb, only to realize that they’re being secretly videotaped. But why?
We start this off with a couple in a car and we see them driving through a wooden area. Ryan Davies (Ryon Thomas) is married to Mia (Bryanna McQueeney) and they’re our couple from the synopsis. Ryan was just released from the hospital as it sounds like he is having chest pains. The more we learn, it has something with his digestive system though. They stop off to see his sister, Jennifer (Gloria Mann). She doesn’t like Mia, thinking that she married her brother for his money. This causes a rift between the siblings. She does give him different things to help with his ailments. She isn’t thrilled to hear them going out to the middle of nowhere for the weekend, especially if he has another flare up.
The place they’re going is ran by Kylo (Alex Galick) and Aubree (Savannah Whitten). They’re helped by Polina (Agnes Artych) and Haden-Marie (Marco Reese Maldonado). Our married couple arrives and they love the place they’re staying. There is an interesting scene with Mia in the shower and Polina slowly opens the door, watching her. Ryan also has an odd interaction with the couple running this place. They seem off but still friendly. Our couple is invited to dinner, but they decline.
That night, Ryan almost hits Haden-Marie who is walking the dark road with a shovel. When Ryan apologizes later, he states that it wasn’t him. We also get flashes into the future that things take a dark turn. Kylo and Aubree are insistent on spending time with their guests. They do have dinner together and they share fun spots for them to go. Ryan has issues with the items to help with his medical condition. We see there could be more there. This fun weekend getaway turns into a nightmare and a fight for survival.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that I do enjoy this basic premise. Not one that is necessarily new, but I like what they do with it. There is this idea of going out into the middle of nowhere to spend the weekend and it takes a turn. It is something that could happen to any of us. I’ll be honest, I’m a nice guy and will take more than I should so a concept like this frightens me. There is a problem here that this doesn’t necessarily do anything to stand out. It is a lower budget effort so I’m not going to come down hard either.
I’ll then stick with positives first. We have this couple staying in this remote place. The owners are friendly. They are a bit off, but that doesn’t make them psychopaths. You also have Polina and Haden-Marie who are also weird. The basic idea is that either of these couples could make this into a horror/thriller. Ryan finds things in the spot where they’re staying that make it creepier as well. Again, this is all good. It isn’t necessarily new though.
Sticking with the good, I’ll go to the acting. No one is great here, but that aren’t bad either. I’ve not seen any of the cast in anything else so my guess is that they’re more amateur. I do like Thomas and McQueeney’s dynamic. He is older than her and this gets brought up throughout. I like how it doesn’t seem to be an issue for either party though. Mann was solid as this overbearing sister. She has Ryan’s interest at heart, but she doesn’t go about it the correct way. Galick and Whitten are also good as this odd couple who own the BnB. I also like Maldonado and Artych with how they play their roles as the ‘help’. Like I said, no one stands out, but they fit what was needed.
Now let me get to more of my issues and it is filmmaking. I think that the cinematography is good though. The setting is as well. These are positives. My problem is with the editing. It is a misstep to me to edit in things that happen later. It messed with the tone and when it comes to the reveal, there isn’t any tension. We know that is where they end up. Keeping it more of a mystery as to who is behind it since you have the owners and the help. That would have helped. The script isn’t overly strong so that affects the performances. The effects are limited, which is fine. I’m glad they didn’t go CGI heavy there. Other than that, the soundtrack was fine as well. It didn’t stand out or hurt either.
In conclusion, this movie uses similar ideas and premises that we’ve seen before. Overall, I think what they do is fine. The problem is that it doesn’t do enough to stand out and there are missteps with the editing for me. I’d say that the acting was solid. It feels amateur, but the performances are good. The isolated location works and this is made well-enough aside from what I’d said. Not one that I can recommend to everyone. For a lower budget effort, this is fine. If you like independent horror like this, I think you’ll enjoy this well enough.
My Rating: 5.5 out of 10