Braid is a twisted horror mystery thriller starring indie horror darling Madeline Brewer. Writer-Director Mitzi Peirone has created a gorgeously shot twisted mind-bender. It feels like a make-believe game turned nightmare!

Braid is a twisted horror mystery starring Madeline Brewer. Writer-Director Mitzi Peirone has created a gorgeously shot twisted mind-bender. This definitely is not a movie for everyone since it’s pretty damn trippy.

If you like the style of Requim for a Dream (in terms of wild cinematography) or maybe Suspiria (in terms of color use), then Braid should be perfect for you.

Besides, the acting is pretty spot on and it is brutal in so many ways!

Indie horror darling, Madeline Brewer

Sure, we became familiar with Madeline Brewer, when she co-starred as Tricia Miller in Orange is the New Black on Netflix. Since then she was part of a Black Mirror episode and starred in TV shows like Hemlock Grove and The Deleted.

But we really started to notice her as Janine in The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. When this show came out, it felt like Madeline Brewer was beginning to carve out a true niche of playing characters you could never truly pin down. Or completely figure out straight off the bat.

Then she started appearing in even more indie genre movies in a starring role. She was absolutely brilliant in Cam, where she was a more “normal” character (though she also got to act out in other ways).

Recommended reading: Check out our review of the Netflix horror thriller Cam starring Madeline Brewer >

Now, Madeline Brewer is back to being deliciously off in Braid which marks another brilliant performance for her.

Or rather, Braid was actually released first since it premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018. Cam premiered at Fantasia Film Festival in Canada in July 2018 and was released on Netflix on November 16, 2018.

Braid Horror Movie Review

Braid is one hell of a trip

As soon as Braid begins, you should have no problem keeping your attention on the story. It starts out pretty simply as we follow two young women in trouble who seek out a childhood friend. This friend (Madeline Brewer) is very rich and pretty crazy in her own special way.

What happens once they arrive at the house is a brutal game of make-believe. These three young women continue a game they started when they were just girls. And as they’ve grown older, the game has become more advanced, intense, and bloody!

The game itself is pretty simple with just three rules. I’ll let you figure out what those are for yourself.

We do go through quite a few flashbacks to their childhood and travel back and forth through timelines. It all works pretty well, so you should be able to keep up. The real issue is to figure out what is real and what’s simply make-believe.

For the record, I realize I’ve only talked about Madeline Brewer, but the other two women are pretty damn brilliant as well. They’re portrayed by Imogen Waterhouse (Nocturnal Animal) and Sarah Hay (Room 104). Both deliver nuanced and fascinating performances evolving throughout the story of Braid.

A very impressive debut from Mitzi Peirone

Braid was written and directed by Mitzi Peirone and this is actually her feature film debut. She has worked quite a bit as an actor and wrote and directed the short film Chaosmos in 2016.

Chaosmos seems to be a short film version of Braid and features the tagline “When you wake up, do your dreams go to sleep?”. This question might actually be one of the best ways to describe this movie.

Honestly, I feel that the three starring actresses (Madeline Brewer, Sarah Hay, and Imogen Waterhouse) are reason enough to check out Braid. Though I must warn anyone who prefers traditional chronological and direct storytelling; This probably is not a movie for you.

If you’re up for a truly trippy mind-bender with gorgeous production value and challenging cinematography, then do check out Braid and enjoy the performances!

Braid is out in limited US theatrical release and VOD from February 1, 2019.

Details

Director: Mitzi Peirone
Writer: Mitzi Peirone
Stars: Madeline Brewer, Imogen Waterhouse, Sarah Hay, Scott Cohen

Plot

Two wanted women decide to rob their wealthy psychotic friend who lives in the fantasy world they created as children; to take the money they have to take part in a deadly perverse game of make believe.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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