Test Screening - FrightFest World Premiere Review
Director: Clark Baker
Starring: Chloë Kerwin, Rain Spencer, Drew Scheid, Johnny Berchtold
Written by: Stephen Susco, Clark Baker
Produced by: Warren Kohler, Michael Mobley, Stephen Susco
Cinematography by: Dan Adlerstein
Original Score by: Austin Wintory
Synopsis:
Follows four teens who find out that a test screening is coming to their little cinema, but the film is actually a mind-control experiment that has terrifying effects.
Thoughts:
Test screenings are a curious thing. The only time I ever participated in one was almost ten years ago. I had convinced myself that I was going to see an early cut of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' but what I got instead was the Philip Seymour Hoffman led spy drama, 'A Most Wanted Man'. It is funny how what you think you're going to get and what you actually get can change your perception of what you've watched and that's before personal taste comes into play. After months of toiling in pre-production and production the fate of a film lies in the hands of a group of random people who would normally have no interest in what they are being presented but there is still fun in the mystery beforehand. You never know what you're going to get but you should always be careful what you wish for. That is the broad concept at play in Clark Baker's film, 'Test Screening'.
Set in the small town of New Hope, Oregon during the summer of 1982 the film follows four teenagers who are invited to a test screening of a mysterious film titled "E pluribus unum" at their local movie theatre. Little do they know that it is part of a mind control experiment that is about to alter the minds and bodies of the population of the small town forever.
From the outset looking at this kind of a premise and the setting of the film (both period and location) you would think that the film is just another one piggybacking off the success of 'Stranger Things' but to make that kind of comparison would be an injustice to the film. There are definitely parallels to it and the works of Stephen King and John Carpenter but Clark Baker ensures that the film is able to stand on its own legs without being over reverential to the period it is set. The main way that he does this (alongside his co-writer Stephen Susco) is through the development of the four main characters and their relationships with each other. For a film like this it would be very easy to put the mind-control experiment at the forefront of the film and to revel in these elements but Baker crafts a beautiful drama about identity that just happens to have these events taking place in the background.
The teens that lead the film are Penny (Chloë Kerwin), Mia (Rain Spencer), Reels (Drew Scheid) and Simon (Johnny Berchtold). Together all four exhibit great chemistry that makes you believe that they've been friends for their whole lives. They all come from different environments of domestic strife but it is the problems at home that deepens their friendship and it is this aspect that works so well at making you care for each of the characters.
Penny comes from a very strict Christian home where the devil dwells on the screen and it is this kind of background that has forced her to repress her sexuality and her true feelings for her lifelong friend Mia. Kerwin is brilliant in this role as she conveys a sense of yearning behind an innocent facade striving to be who she is rather than what the world expects through her eyes and subtle facial expressions. Spencer is just as good as Mia, the rebellious teen who just wants to escape her broken family home. She may be underwritten in comparison to Penny but Spencer makes the most of the role with genuine heart that shines through her toughness. The gentle score from Austin Wintory works wonders at deepening the emotion of their relationship to being more than just friends.
This ties into the main theme at the heart of the film which is identity, particularly with sexuality. The original 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' was all about "Red fear” and here Baker takes a similar approach in terms of "queer fear" not just through references to the AIDS pandemic on TV but in how he weaves this unfounded fear into the central plot about mind control. The world he creates here is one of repression within Regan's America where homosexuality is viewed as something deviant and to be feared in the mainstream, where anyone like this is condemned to be an outsider even if it isn't said outright. It is a world where assimilation is necessary to maintain "American Values". It may be an obvious metaphor in the context of the film but it doesn't diminish its power thanks to how Baker utilises it.
As for the rest of the cast, Berchtold is quite good as Simon too, who is trying to cope with the fact that his mother is dying and he can't do anything about it. There is so much empathy and confusion to his performance that makes it all the more believable. Drew Scheid is a delight as the local cinephile Reels in a role that could so easily be construed as being obnoxious in the hands of another actor but he is genuinely charming in the role. Like Mia and Penny they are outsiders but it is more of a social issue with them.
In terms of the setting, Baker gives the film a real sense of place as you know the era the film is set in without it bashing you around the head. It is weaved perfectly into the story instead of leaning forward and offering a sneaky wink to the audience anytime something is referenced. This is thanks partly to the camera work from Dan Alderstein who gives the film a sense of naturalism that feeds into the drama of the film. He also handles the switch to the more fantastical elements of the film well with the lighting of the scenes later in the film, which adds a layer of creepiness. In terms of these aspects of the film the special makeup effects from Adam Dougherty are handled incredibly well in how they pay reverence to the works of Rob Bottin and Screaming Mad George in their work on the likes of 'The Thing' and 'Society' with his crowning achievement coming in a scene at the church towards the end of the film.
'Test Screening' is a film that defied my expectations in terms of how much care Baker put into the characters and the world he creates. He takes the framework for what could be a derivative throwback and makes a beautiful and tragic drama but one that offers enough to appease fans of sci-fi horror centred on practical effects. For his feature debut it is a highly impressive piece of work making him a filmmaker to keep an eye out for in the future.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Joseph McElroy
'Test Screening' received its World Premiere at FrightFest '24 on August 22nd
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