Get Away – Movie Review (3/5)

GET AWAY is a horror comedy starring Nick Frost, who also wrote the screenplay. A dark and deadly plot set on a Swedish island and featuring a creepy vibe that escalates in wildly violent ways. It’s absolutely crazy. Read our full Get Away movie review here!

GET AWAY is a new horror comedy written by horror-comedy icon Nick Frost from Shaun of the Dead. Fortunately, Nick Frost is also still in the movie alongside the ever-wonderful Aisling Bea. I really did not know what to expect from this movie, but I enjoyed it.

The creepy vibe and setting on a Swedish island just worked for me. The latter even made me think of Midsommar (despite the weather in this one being drab) and helped get me in the perfect mood for this absolutely insane story.

Continue reading our Get Away movie review below. Find it in Theaters on December 6, 2024, and on Shudder on January 10, 2025.

Smith Family Vacation on Svalta

In Get Away, we meet the Smith family as they begin their much-needed vacation. The location is the remote Swedish island of Svalta. The fact that everyone looks both horrified and confused whenever they say this, should be a huge warning, but they’ve decided on this destination.

They’ve rented an Airbnb and arrive during preparations for a mysterious local festival. One that celebrates the dark history of Svalta. If they were wondering whether they’re welcome, the Smith family won’t have to wonder long; The inhabitants tell them directly that they are not welcome.

While they may be a little unsettled by the unfriendly locals and their strange rituals, the Smith family has no intention of letting it bother them. Instead, they do their damnedest to make the best of their trip.

As the Svalta festival approaches, it becomes obvious that something far more sinister is unfolding. Also, a serial killer is on the loose, so with no way for anyone to get off the island, things get scary fast.

From National Lampoon to Horror Comedy

Early on, Get Away has a strangely creepy and eerie vibe that has a lot to do with the setting on a remote Swedish island. A place where they do not like outsiders and are quick to let you know this. Still, the family wants to spend their holiday there so they hang in there.

It reminded me of the Tubi movie Lowlifes in the sense that we have a family vacationing in a very strange place, but insisting on persevering. Most people would’ve cut their losses and left, but not the characters in these horror comedies.

Of course, this is what makes the stories work. Otherwise, the movies would be short and the crazy horror part of the horror-comedy would never happen.

I’m realizing very quickly that my love of the National Lampoon movies Vacation, European Vacation, and the seasonal Christmas Vacation has set me up to be a fan of these horror comedies where families end up in strange situations.

Always insisting on making the best of what is clearly a terrible place to spend your holiday. Even the very dark versions of this setting – Speak No Evil in both the original Danish and recent US remake – seem to stem from this origin. You never know what will help shape your taste in movies.

Watch Get Away in theaters now and on Shudder later

Steffen Haars is the director of Get Away and Nick Frost is the screenwriter (and star) of the movie. Both have a lot of experience working in comedy while Nick Frost especially has leaned into the horror elements in his projects as well. Dutch filmmaker Steffen Haars has worked more with action comedy.

The Smith family members are portrayed by Nick Frost (Black Cab), Aisling Bea (Swede Caroline), Sebastian Croft (Heartstopper and Love, Death & Robots), and Maisie Ayres (Criminal Record). All four deliver intriguing and often unsettling portrayals of people who may be a family, but also put themselves first.

Also in a key role as the man renting them an Airbnb vacation home is a local resident played by Eero Milonoff (Azrael, Deadwind). A very unsettling man, who seems both friendly and like a real creep!

With an official runtime of just 86 minutes, this horror-comedy doesn’t drag on or last too long. Sure, some elements could’ve made this even better for me. Maybe mostly that I couldn’t have guessed plot twists. I may not rewatch this, but I was very happy to watch it one time!

Get Away is out In Theaters from December 6, 2024, and will be on Shudder on January 10, 2025.

Details

Director: Steffen Haars
Writer: Nick Frost
Cast: Nick Frost, Aisling Bea, Sebastian Croft, Maisie Ayres