[IN THEATERS NOW!] COBWEB (2023)

 

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“Not everything is as sweet as it seems….”

So soon after THE BLACK PHONE swept the Chainsaw awards, we got a new film about the horrors of child endangerment. Eight-year-old Peter (Woody Norman) is like any other small child when it comes to nightmares and the lurking sensation there’s something hidden in the dark. Normally, a child would take comfort in their parents, or at least forget their troubles when they play with their friends. But Peter’s home and school life only offer him pain and fear. Between bullies and controlling parents, Peter’s only solace now comes from the whispers emanating from behind his bedroom wall. Soon, COBWEB, the new film from Samuel Bodin (MARIANNE), tangles us up in this domestic horror, which takes on a BARBARIAN level of surprises with a Grimm’s Fairy Tale twist.

 

Cobweb (2023) - IMDb

 

Peter is a quiet lonely kid who observes life more than takes part in it. At school everyone rushes past him, and he is definitely one of those little boys where his mom is his best friend. Poor little Peter, unlike the average child who counts down the minutes to recess, he dreads the bell that releases him to the bully-filled playground. At home, he finds sanctuary in his room, There, the hot air balloon wallpaper taunts Peter with freedom and exploration, but hiding behind the fanciful wall décor lurks something sinister. From these opening shots, the visual and auditory artistry creates an aesthetically pleasing and creepy atmosphere. The amazing set design and the cinematography spin a painful, yet enthralling tale. The use of the wide-angle lens spreads the scenes across the screen but gives every single purposeful detail a crispness that makes it impossible to look away.

 

 

Carol (Lizzy Caplan), Peter’s mom shows a lot of patience and understanding for her son’s late-night fears. She praises his imagination but still wants to soothe away any unnecessary nightmares. And while the soft delicate touch of his mother alleviates some of his concerns, this approach to parenting differs greatly from Peter’s father. Mark (Antony Starr) refuses to coddle the small boy and approaches the youthful fears with logic, and he refuses to candy-coat discussions of death. Despite Peter’s young age, his father insists the boy learns about child murderers and how quickly a young life can become ensnared and devoured. However, Peter may only learn about the real world and never experience it. The more he learns about what exists beyond the domestic sphere, the more his parents limit his exposure to anything beyond their front door. So, despite the creepy bumps in the night that keep him up, the supernatural happenings might not be the scariest part of the home. Caplan plays her role as dysfunctional parent to perfection, and who knew we needed Starr as a horror daddy?

 

 

When there is something wrong in the home, often all the blame (or even the responsibility), can completely fall on the shoulders of the child. Parents take out their frustration on those too young and too small to protect themselves. Often, when the need for control moves from strictness to abuse, the parents must completely separate their child from any outside contact as a way of protecting themselves. If the little one does not know the difference between love and abuse, they will not know enough to call for help. Also, removing any sort of external support such as friends or a caring adult, further limits the child’s possibilities of escaping the abuse. The combined factors of extreme loneliness and lack of a support system will only raise the risk of that person becoming dangerous… Therefore, continuing the cycle of trauma.

 

Cobweb (2023) - News - IMDb

 

When Peter’s world grows smaller and smaller, his frustration is only met with the abusive response of “We are doing this because we love you.” When Peter claims he hears something, he is told it never happened. He is told not to believe his own mind and must only think what his parents tell him to think. When he tries to reach out to his teacher Miss Devine (Cleopatra Coleman) for help, he only becomes more isolated and more abused. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Peters out there, and the education system has to ignore the warning signs to protect the other kids at the school. When the spaces (such as school and home) that are intended to protect and nourish a child become toxic and abusive, the scared little boy will turn to any possible source for comfort. The noises and whispers from the unseen voice in the walls offer an escape for Peter, but can he believe their promises of safety? Where exactly did this cycle of abuse begin?

Gaslighting and isolation, so extreme it’s to the point of captivity, are both fully present in COBWEB. Child abuse is hard to visually depict in films because violence towards a child is just not a line a lot of movies are willing to cross. Often there will be hints of abuse with shadows and sound effects, but we do not see the physical abuse which happens behind closed doors. When we watch horror, we want simulated fears such as ghosts, monsters, or super-human slashers, all of which can frighten us, but we know deep down these things cannot happen. But child abuse affects millions of children every year, so this horror is always real. However, director Bodin combines imaginary horror with reality, to tempt you to walk into his unsuspecting web of terror.

 

COBWEB is in theaters on Friday, July 21st!

 

 

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Amylou Ahava
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