The Harbinger – Fantasia Review (4/5)

THE HARBINGER is a new horror movie that elegantly combines our familiar reality with a classic horror plot. This horror movie packs an incredibly powerful punch. Screening at Fantasia 2022. Read our full The Harbinger movie review here!

THE HARBINGER is a new horror movie screening at Fantasia 2022. A movie that elegantly combines the reality we’re currently living in with a classic horror plot. Made with a small budget, this horror movie works extremely well. And it packs an incredibly powerful punch in all the right ways.

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Our review of the other THE HARBINGER (2022) starring Madeleine McGraw >

I wasn’t sure what to expect but as the story unfolded, I found the fear creep in. This story preys on a very basic fear while also building its plot on a very current pandemic-related fear.

Continue reading our The Harbinger movie review below.

Keeping an old promise

When The Harbinger opens, it does so with a very powerful opening scene that lets us know this is a life and death situation. Then we’re introduced to the main character, Monique, who is living with her brother at their father’s house. He has failing health and their mother has passed, so they’re helping him during the pandemic.

Effectively, they’ve created a safe little bubble and everything about their first scene together is still very familiar. Then Monique is summoned to her friend’s NYC apartment. This is still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, so NYC is not where you want to be when you’re in the safety of being outside a big city.

Basically, it’s the last thing she wants, but it’s an old friend who helped her when she needed it, so she goes to NYC.

However, when she’s confronted with a contagious, plague-masked demon known as The Harbinger, the idea of the pandemic almost seems more appealing.

This demon attempts (and often succeeds) at wiping people from reality. If someone is infected and dies, then all memories of them also fade. Pictures stay behind but people no longer know the person in the picture since they have no memories of them anymore.

Gabby Beans is a scene stealer!

The main protagonist of The Harbinger is Monique, who is portrayed perfectly by Gabby Beans. She steals every scene she’s in with her presence and realistic approach. I’d love to see her in many more genre films in the future. You may recognize Gabby Beans from House of Cards or Ray Donovan.

As the friend, Mavis, who summons her to New York City in the early days of the pandemic, we see Emily Davis. She’s an actor you might recognize from the American Rust TV series.

Also in a key role, we see Laura Heisler (The Americans, Evil) as a demonologist. She’s working from home (like everyone else, who could, was) with toddlers in the background—yet another perfect little detail. “Just keep your voice light and soft,” she says because then the kids won’t pay attention.

These three characters are what make the story, but the supporting characters are what build more life into this. It does not feel like a low-budget production when people put this much effort into the all-important details.

Watch The Harbinger at Fantasia 2022

Andy Mitton is the writer and director of The Harbinger and while I expected it to be good and entertaining, it was so much more. A timely and incredibly well-constructed story that is executed perfectly. Also, the runtime of 97 minutes is just another huge bonus.

It’s been called a “Nightmare on Elm Street meets the Pandemic”-plot and that’s a remarkably correct way to describe it. The horror comes from both not knowing if it’s reality or a nightmare and the fear of being forgotten forever.

Many horror movies have had elements of the pandemic weaved into their plots, but this is perhaps the best-crafted horror story set in the very familiar pandemic world, we’re living in. Everything is eerily familiar and then there’s the iconic horror plot driver of nightmares that never let up. You’ll want to check out this one whenever you can!

The Harbinger has a world premiere screening at Fantasia 2022.

Details

Director: Andy Mitton
Writer: Andy Mitton
Cast: Gabby Beans, Cody Braverman, Emily Davis, Ray Anthony Thomas, Myles Walker