Contracted (2013)
Director: Eric England
Writer: Eric England
Stars: Najarra Townsend, Caroline Williams, Alice Macdonald
Whether
you like it or not, horror movies are known for characters that make bad
decisions. Contracted is no
different. Nearly every person who crosses the screen makes stupid choices, and
people love to call the movie out for it. Despite all of the dumb moves, Contracted is still worth arguing for,
and for a number of reasons.
Written
and directed by Eric England, Contracted shares
the garish, three-day transformation of Sam (Najarra Townsend) caused by what
she believes to be an STD contracted during a one-night stand turned rape.
While England is fairly ambiguous about Sam’s past, it’s easy to see that things
aren’t the best for her. She recently had a falling out with her girlfriend,
Nikki (Katie Stegeman), and had to move back in with her mother (Caroline
Williams) who isn’t the most accepting of Sam’s lifestyle choices. All in all,
it seems as if she is going through a pretty turbulent time in her life, and
things only get worse.
Sam
is an easy enough character to sympathize with at first. Her uncertainty
towards her place in life make her the poster child for the confused young
person (she does wear Converse after all), but her responses to her growing
symptoms put a damper on this sympathy and threaten to bring down the whole
movie. I don’t think England intended for his characters to be stupid, but some
of the things Sam does make you wonder. She blames what seems to be a gallon of
blood that gushes from her and crippling cramps as her period, and piercing
headaches and pains as a prolonged hangover. While it hurts to watch her try to
brush her symptoms off, her actions are still excusable. It makes sense to be in
denial about an illness, especially if it was caused by regretted actions, but
the point of no return is reached when Sam decides to go to work instead of the
doctor. Keep in mind, both her hair and teeth
are falling out at this point; she works in the food industry too, by the way.
Now, I zoned out during the whole sex-ed section of health class, and
apparently the doctor she visits did too, but I think that’s something more
serious than an STD and should probably take priority over going to work. While her choices are painfully bad, they’re not
worth hating the movie over; especially when it has so many merits.
The
movie-long transformation of Sam is hands down the best part of Contracted, and it alone is worth
watching the movie for. Contracted itself
may not be that great, but Sam’s metamorphosis is. The film’s slow pacing lends
itself to this transformation, and so does the phenomenal makeup effects. By
the end of the movie, you can barely remember the beautiful young woman Sam once
was, and when a visual comparison is made, the shock is real. The acting is
nothing to complain about, I personally adore Townsend, and the movie is filmed
with both a soft glow and crispness that generate an almost dreamy feel.
Regardless of the fact that you’ll be seeing some unpleasant things Contracted really is a pretty movie.
Sure,
the actions of the characters may wear your patience thin, but there shouldn’t
be any regret involved in watching Contracted. Whether
you watch it for the special effects, Townsend or to scare yourself away from
sex, just do whatever you must to excuse the character’s actions and let
yourself enjoy the movie.
- Marysa Storm
Trailer:
