Old

A family takes a vacation to an island resort where they find a beautiful secluded beach. But the family soon realizes that this beach is taking more than just the family’s stress away…

Old made it on my list of things to watch because it was an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Shyamalan has made some pretty crazy movies in his day, and he gets a lot of flack for some of them- but honestly, I usually like his work. Devil is great (I can never forget the toast scene), The Happening was a cool concept, and of course The Sixth Sense- the world’s first introduction to Shyamalan. So, I figured it would be worth checking out. And though I wouldn’t necessarily call this movie a horror movie (thriller, really), it was a great movie that was fun to watch. Definitely horror-adjacent.

Old tells the story of a family of four heading off to a vacation at a swanky beach resort. As viewers, we quickly learn that the parents are dealing with marital issues, as well as a health issue of some sort on the mother’s part- which the kids are privy to as well (these parents have never heard of using their inside voices). They give it the ol’ college try for one last vacation before reality sets in. The family, along with several members of the resort, are dropped off at a secluded beach for the day (shoutout to Shyamalan for the shady bus driver cameo) and are told they will be picked up around sunset. As everybody begins their day at the beach, the people are met by a celebrity rapper lurking in the shadows (his name is ‘Mid Sized Sedan,’ dope af btw) and a body that soon washes ashore. After several other strange events, one of the people realizes that time on the beach is moving much more rapidly- and it is taking its toll on all of them. As the people all struggle to find out how to leave the beach alive, they soon learn that the effects of time is not the only thing out to get them…

The movie was great in my opinion. It had a pretty great Shyamalan twist that brought everything full circle, and that’s always great. There were several shocking moments within the movie and I would say one truly terrifying moment involving a woman with some broken limbs in a cave (jeeezus it made me wince). None of the actors stood out as terrible, and I enjoyed the movie and some of the themes it explored: of time, aging, family. I can’t say there was too much of the movie I had an issue with except the ending was maybe a little bit to happy for my liking. I don’t think I am cynical (sike, I am), but for the events that go down in the movie, I would expect much more chaos at the close of the movie. I also was hoping to see more gore from the situations- but with a PG-13 rating, I can see why it wasn’t the focus. If they would have included some of those into the movie, it definitely would have given the audience much more to fear in my opinion.

Rating: I give this movie 7 out of 10 shady van drivers. It’s a great premise with a lot of scenes that left my mouth hanging, but a bit too cheery for me for an ending.

If you are looking for something to watch in the same vein of Old, check out Hereditary. It’s a much darker story that digs into family ties and the occult- while also starring Alex Wolff, the son in Old. My other movie I would suggest, since we are on the topic of time travel, is Donnie Darko. It’s a classic sci-fi movie with a cult following and a terrifying bunny bringing tidings of the end of the world. Plus, it stars a young Jake Gyllenhaal.

As far as what to read, there’s a plethora of stories covering time travel, dark family ties, and what-ifs. Stephen King has a book, 11/22/63, about a guy who finds a portal into the past and attempts to stop the assasination of JFK. It’s King, so you know it’s going to have some interesting moments. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes is about a time traveling serial killer and the final girl who got away pursuing him. Do you really need to hear any more than that to check it out?

If you got any horror movies on time, family vacations, or evil corporations, shoot them my way! I need horror like most middle-schoolers need Axe body spray. 

Until next time….

-M