Twisted

Film: Twisted

Year: 2026

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

Writers: Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer

Starring: Djimon Hounsou, Lauren LaVera and Alicia Witt

Review:

This was a film that I didn’t know much about. I saw that it hit VOD and that the reviews were mixed. When I looked a bit more into it, seeing that it was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, starring Lauren LaVera and Djimon Hounsou, I figured I’d watch it. Part of the reason as well was that there wasn’t a new release horror film at the theater I go to, so this made it easy.

Synopsis: follows two millennials who flip NY apartments they don't own to new buyers who don't know they are being scammed. The con works brilliantly until they run into an apartment owner with a dark secret who flips the game on them.

We start this with Emma (LaVera) showing a house. She is flirting with the man that she is showing it to. She is able to convince him to sign the lease. By the end, she tells him to bring wine and come back later that night to pick up the keys. It is then that he discovers it was a scam. She didn’t own the house and he already paid.

Emma's real name is Paloma. She is a con-artist along with her girlfriend, Smith (Mia Healey). Their current scam involves renting Airbnb’s for extended stays to pose as owners. Paloma, who uses names of literary characters, receives a message from someone named Daisy Buchanan, seemingly a police officer from the location of the IP address. Smith fears they are caught and wants to flee, bringing up a past incident in Baltimore.

Paloma then comes up with a plan. They’ll both do one more job and whoever does it first gets to choose where they move to next. Smith reluctantly agrees. Paloma rents a Brownstone that belongs to Dr. Robert Kezian (Hounsou). It is here we learn about him. He’s the head of neurosurgery at a nearby institute. His boss is Bradshaw (Neal McDonough). Robert is running trials on an experimental procedure. They need approval from the government to start human testing. There is urgency here that Bradshaw tries to keep in check.

Robert then meets with Paloma and we learn more about his back-story. The love of his life is no longer around, Rebecca (Alicia Witt), due to a rare brain condition. He explains that this was their place and he can’t give it up. He tends to stay more though at a place belonging to her parents, which seems to be close. Paloma gets along well with him and he provides the information that she needs for her stay.

She then goes about getting things set up and starts to show the place. This includes disconnecting the mounted security cameras. She is struggling to get someone to bite. Things take a turn when Tad (David Call) is shown around. He gets aggressive, angered by her flirting. He feels that she is a tease. Robert has one camera that she missed. He watches and intervenes when she’s attacked. Figuring out the scam she is running, he takes her prisoner in a ‘dungeon’ that he’s set up. Robert might have found his test subjects to prove his theory.

We also see that there are two detectives who might be on to the scam. Greg (Michael Lombardi) doesn’t believe it, but things aren’t adding up for Warricker (Gina Philips). When Tad disappears and other strange things happen around this area, she knows there is more than what Robert is letting on.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. While the plot resembles others I've seen, the variations are appealing. The core tension comes from the lead character being a criminal, Paloma, whose con with Smith is the only lead to her whereabouts. Added to this is a mad scientist element, reminiscent of classic Universal monster sequels, which heightened my interest.

Now that I’ve set that up, I did want to delve into our lead of Paloma first. She has a feel that is untouchable. She is tempting fate by using a fake name, showing places that she doesn’t own and getting people to pay her to purchase them. It makes sense that most of the people who are suckered would be men. We are dumb when a beautiful woman flirts with us. LaVera’s looks aids that. She also has a natural charisma that fits the role. That arrogance that comes with feeling invincible leads to her downfall as well.

Let's look at her co-star, Hounsou, who is a veteran actor. I appreciate the actor's range in blockbusters and indie films, noting his consistent professionalism. He's convincing as a mad scientist broken by his wife's death, evidenced by his obsession with watching old videos of her. While I relate to the loss, his level is extreme. I enjoy his initial benevolent portrayal, especially with Paloma and a young patient, before his darker, depraved side emerges. Hounsou fits the role well.

Then looking at the mad scientist angle here. The first part of it is that we learn he has a ‘dungeon’ of sorts. Part of it is made to look like a clinic. The reason there makes sense and with his level of wealth, it fits. How it is hidden was good. There is a subtle reveal. Now I won’t spoil completely what his goal is. What I will say is that it involves a brain transplant of sorts. Not to the level that you’d get in like Frankenstein. There is a more grounded approach that makes sense. What I like here though, there are side effects.

The last element of the story that I want to include is around certain lines that are said. One of them is something that Paloma says to Smith. The latter says ‘I love you’. Paloma replies with something along the lines of ‘same’. When pressed, she doesn’t see the importance of certain words, but it doesn’t change her feelings. I like how this factors in along with a stinger at the end that was fitting.

That should be enough for the story so let’s go over to the acting performances. I’ve already said that our two leads are good. What is great for LaVera is seeing how strong she is and how her ordeal of being kidnapped leads to breaking her. Hounsou on the other hand seems so good in the beginning, revealing his dark side as events develop. Healey works to help humanize Paloma and also as someone to look for her. I like McDonough in his role. Witt was solid in hers as well. Other than that, Philips, Lombardi and the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed.

All that is left then will be the filmmaking aspects. The cinematography and framing were strong, particularly in capturing the beauty of the locations Paloma is showcasing, highlighting her skill. The use of fuzzy focus when characters are dizzy or drugged, and the technique of rotating the image on its side during key moments, was effective. The practical or well-hidden CGI blood and effects were solid. The soundtrack was adequate but unremarkable.

In conclusion, this offers an entertaining, if familiar, premise elevated by strong performances and effective filmmaking techniques. Bousman crafts a visually compelling film, particularly benefiting from the magnetic lead dynamic between LaVera and Hounsou. The story successfully blends a modern-day con-artist thriller with a classic mad scientist horror trope, leading to an intense and unsettling final act. While not a completely original concept, the movie’s execution, its subtle reveals, and the unsettling nature of the central experiment make it a worthwhile watch for fans of psychological horror with a genre twist.

My Rating: 7 out of 10