The Block Island Sound – Netflix/Fantasia Review (4/5)

THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND is a new horror/sci-fi/thriller on Netflix that premiered at Fantasia 2020. It might be low-budget compared to many others, but they make the most of it. Do check it out. Read our full The Block Island Sound review here!

THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND is a new horror/sci-fi movie out on Netflix that truly maximizes its relatively small budget. The story is solid, the acting is spot-on and the ending lifts up the entire movie in a wonderful way.

It’s the kind of movie where you really shouldn’t know too much before watching it. You just need to let it play out while you guess along and try to figure out what’s going on. Just as it’s the case for the characters in the movie.

Continue reading our The Block Island Sound review below.

A small but awesome cast

We have a soft spot for Neville Archambault ever since watching him in 13 Cameras. Of course, he is the ultimate creep in that movie. And definitely also in its sequel 14 Cameras, which makes it very hard for me to relax in an Airbnb at first.

Anyway, I was so happy that Neville Archambault finally got to play a regular guy in this movie. He does have scenes of pure horror as well but in a different way.

You might like: Our feature on Neville Archambault here >

The main character in The Block Island Sound is portrayed by Michaela McManus (Into the Grizzly Maze, 13 Cameras) and she is simply stellar. From the second she appeared on screen, I knew this movie would work for me. And it did! In large part thanks to Michaela McManus who managed to make it all feel real. No matter how crazy things got.

And things do get crazy thanks to especially the character played by Chris Sheffield. Obviously, he is equally awesome in this movie – though in a very different way. You might recognize him from The Last Ship series or The Stanford Prison Experiment movie from 2015.

Loved the ending of The Block Island Sound

While I liked the movie as a whole, the ending of The Block Island Sound is what really made this movie for me. Obviously, I’m not going to give away the ending here, but I will say that it tied the story together perfectly.

Also, it makes you think about human nature and how quick we are to judge.

Okay, I know this sounds very lofty, but just trust me on this one; The Block Island Sound ending is the perfect way to end a horror, sci-fi, thriller movie of this caliber.

You’ll want to watch The Block Island Sound on Netflix

The McManus Brothers (Kevin and Matthew) wrote and directed The Block Island Sound and they did a damn good job. This is the first movie they’ve co-directed since their feature film debut Funeral Kings from 2012, which they also wrote.

Since then, the McManus Brothers have been busy writing for various series especially. They wrote two episodes of the Karate Kid spin-off series Cobra Kai. Before this, they wrote for American Vandal and Da Vinci’s Demons.

After watching their new movie, I really hope we won’t have to wait another eight years for their next feature film. The Block Island Sound was a wonderful surprise and I’m ready for more from these filmmakers – preferably in the near future!

We screened The Block Island Sound at Fantasia Fest 2020. It is released on Netflix in most countries on March 11, 2021.

Details

Directors: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus
Writers: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus
Stars: Chris Sheffield, Michaela McManus, Neville Archambault, Willie C. Carpenter, Jim Cummings, Jeremy Holm