Do Not Disturb – Movie Review (3/5)

DO NOT DISTURB is a new horror movie with a bite. Actually, a whole lot of bites as it features a cannibal plot. Oh yes, there will be blood and this is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, a good movie. Read our full Do Not Disturb movie review here!

DO NOT DISTURB is a horror movie with a lot of drugs and eating. The eating is usually of human flesh, which means this is essentially a cannibal horror movie. However, it’s a very different kind as the people doing the biting aren’t aware of what they’re doing. This goes back to the whole drug element.

The movie is also called a “psychedelic horror film wrapped in a failed marriage and cannibalism” which is one of the most accurate descriptions I’ve come across in a long time. It’s a wild ride really!

Continue reading our Do Not Disturb movie review below. Find it in theaters on November 17, 2023, and on VOD from November 21, 2023.

From honeymoon to failed marriage

The main characters in Do Not Disturb aren’t particularly likable, nor are they supposed to be. Actually, one is definitely worse than the other. We meet Chloe and Jack when they travel to Miami for their honeymoon. However, it really does seem like they’re already in the midst of a failed marriage.

Their relationship is toxic in so many ways, but especially Jack (Rogan Christopher) is an extremely abusive husband. Not in a violent way, but just about every other way. He does try to force himself on Chloe (Kimberly Laferriere) as well, so it’s not that the abuse doesn’t include anything physical.

What really brings something new to the table is when they decide to try peyote. After the way they came across the drugs, you’d think they would want to avoid it like the plague, but no. Jack first sees it as a financial opportunity, because hey, who doesn’t consider dealing drugs on their honeymoon to make a buck?!

That escalated quickly

Instead of selling the drugs, Jack decides it would be good for their marriage if they tried this peyote experience together first. It’s supposedly a very rare and potent strand of the drug, but that doesn’t scare Jack. It will, however, scar him as it awakens a taste for human flesh in Chloe.

In a strange turn of events, it also seems to help the newly married couple (but longtime partners) find each other.

Though in Miami, they end up staying in their suite which turns into a regular love fest. Or actually, “lust fest” is more like it and the lust tends to involve flesh. They consume vast amounts of steaks as well as have a taste of anyone they come across.

It’s a horror movie with one hell of a bite. And a whole lot of blood!

Watch Do Not Disturb in theaters or on VOD

The new horror movie was written and directed by John Ainslie. He previously wrote and directed on the Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life series. Also, he directed and co-wrote the 2015 horror mystery The Sublet.

Do Not Disturb received a lot of buzz at its screenings at various genre film festivals. These included some of the biggest such as Popcorn Frights and Screamfest LA. I can definitely see why festival audiences would enjoy this. It’s a crazy and wild experience that escalates quickly after a slower opening to set the sad stage.

Also, I really have to highlight the brilliant and intense performances of the two lead actors, Kimberly Laferriere and Rogan Christopher. These two have a lot of crazy scenes and wild moments, but they make it extremely organic and believable. Even when it gets very intense and extreme!

Definitely one I’d recommend to fans of both cannibal movies, but also to anyone who wants a different kind of character-driven horror movie. It is a trip of the kind where you’re very happy to be on the outside looking in!

Do Not Disturb is out in theatrical release on November 17, 2023, and on VOD from November 21, 2023.

Details

Writer/Director: John Ainslie
Cast: Kimberly Laferriere, Rogan Christopher, Janet Porter, Christian McKenna