Why I took if off the list: A werewolf film co-starring 2 of my favorite actresses, Addison Timlin and Barbara Crampton? Count me in!
I wanted to see Blackout at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival, but didn’t manage to catch it there in the end. So now that’s it hit streaming, I decided to find out whether it was worth the wait.
So, let’s dig in!
Review of Blackout (2023)
Blackout is written and directed by genre veteran Larry Fessenden – known both in front of the camera in offerings such as Jug Face (2012) and Like Me (2017), and behind it for horror flicks such as Wendigo (2001) and The Last Winter (2006). He also wrote the ace horror video game Until Dawn (2015).
The film stars Alex Hurt (Minyan) as Charley, a struggling artist dealing with alcoholism and blackouts which he begins to suspect are the result of more than just booze, as a string of mysterious killings plague his small town. At the same time, he’s caught up in a dispute over land development involving his ex-girlfriend’s dad and his own, recently deceased lawyer father.
More of an introspective drama than monster movie, much of the runtime of Blackout is taken up by the land development subplot, and wider small town conflicts, which isn’t all that engaging. It’s padded out with a bit too many scenes of slice-of-life moments, and it takes itself a bit too seriously at times.
Saying that, the werewolf attack scenes, when they come, are inventively shot, using a mix of POV shots and fleeting glimpses of the creature to generate maximum tension without giving away too much of the monster. It also uses an effective piece of hand-drawn and painted animation to convey a transformation scene.
Hurt’s Performance Keeps the Film Engaging
When the monster does appear in its full glory, it can look a little goofy, although the fact it exclusively uses practical effects to bring the creature to life is commendable. And Hurt is convincing when he does go into beast mode.
In fact, one of the biggest strengths of Blackout in general is Hurt’s committed performance. He’s likable and charismatic as a troubled man, channeling his late father William at times. The film uses real-life family photos of the 2, which makes Charley’s monologues about their difficult relationship even more poignant.
The film’s biggest sin is that it seriously underuses Crampton and Timlin. The former is luminous as always but only gets one scene, while the latter is saddled with a thankless girlfriend role and doesn’t get much opportunity to let her considerable talent shine.
Among the rest of the supporting cast, Ella Rae Sanchez and Joseph Castillo-Midyett make strong impressions as the law enforcement officers investigating the killings. The 2 have an enjoyable buddy cop dynamic and get some of the best of the film’s many lines deconstructing werewolf lore, such as, “If you combined a wolf with a person, you’d probably get the worst of both, and you’d just have a vindictive asshole with big teeth and claws”.
Final score: 6/10
Blackout (2023): Worth Watching?
It depends, Blackout comes across as a more of a slice-of-life drama at times, and can be a bit slow and meandering, so is unlikely to satisfy those looking for a full-on creature feature.
Saying that, it does have some effective monster scenes, and is mostly successful in using lycanthropy as a metaphor for alcohol addiction. And Hurt is convincing as a damaged man/reluctant werewolf.
