Stephanie (4/5)

Stephanie is my kind of horror movie with a creepy vibe from start to finish –  and the horror escalates continuously. Kids in horror can be good or bad, but here it’s great!

Stephanie stars Shree Crooks in the title role. And really, it wouldn’t be fair to start this review in any other way but to sing her praises. Shree Crooks is simply brilliant!

You’ve probably already seen her in something despite her very young age. She was in Captain Fantastic, The Glass Castle alongside Brie Larson, and in American Horror Story.

The story in Stephanie is very simple but works so damn well. You find yourself trying to guess what’s going on during the first part, and that’s okay. I’ve seen some people comment that it’s boring, but I couldn’t disagree more.

I found it eerily creepy in the best way.

You can watch a clip from Stephanie right here or continue reading our review below.

Watch out for Shree Crooks

I know I started this review by mentioning Shree Crooks, but that’s because this is very much her movie!

In Stephanie, she actually spends the first part of the movie alone. And I do mean alone since no one else is in the house. Well, except for the monster, but Stephanie knows how to deal with it. Even if it scares her!

Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year) and Anna Torv (Mindhunter) play her parents. However, we don’t meet them until later in the story.

To find out how all this is connected requires watching the movie – which I really recommend you do!

And no, not just because Shree Crooks is brilliant, but because the story is equal parts fascinating and scary!

Whether you like horror, drama or fantasy and sci-fi, you should be very pleased with Stephanie.

Academy Award winner directing

Akiva Goldsman directed Stephanie and even if the name sounds familiar, he has only directed one feature film in the past. Instead, he’s been working on directing for TV shows such as Fringe. 

Also, he won an Academy Award for writing A Beautiful Mind. In fact, Akiva Goldsman has mostly worked as a producer and screenwriter. He wrote (or co-wrote) the scripts for A Time to Kill, I am Legend as well as The Dark Tower and Rings.

Akiva Goldsman will be writing the script for Mike Flanagan’s next movie. Once again, it’s an adaptation of a Stephen King story; The sequel to The Shining which is titled Doctor Sleep.

Mike Flanagan recently made Gerald’s Game for Netflix, which worked pretty damn well. Hopefully, this will be a return to Akiva Goldsman writing brilliant screenplay adaptations.

Stephanie is a Blumhouse production which usually means a treat for horror-fans and this is no exception.

Check out Stephanie on Netflix in Canada or on DVD or streaming in the US as of May 2018!

Details

Director: Akiva Goldsman
Writers: Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski
Cast: Shree Crooks, Frank Grillo, Anna Torv, Jonah Beres

Plot

After a mysterious global crisis, a young girl is left alone to hide from a malevolent power that stalks her home. Her parents eventually return and the struggle begins to save their daughter.