This movie has been on my mind a lot lately, and not in a good way. Have you ever seen a movie that is so terrible that it’s good? Well, this isn’t one of them. Don’t Look Away (available to rent on Amazon for $0.99, what a deal!) is just straight-up terrible. Before we get into why, let’s talk about how the movie has a compelling plot and potential to be great.
The story is about a mannequin that appears from far away, but the moment you take your eyes off of it, it disappears and gets closer and closer. Eventually, it gets so close it kills you; it never really shows how it kills you, but it does. Sounds like a pretty good plot for a scary movie, right? Indeed it does, but the execution was terrible. Here’s why:
The Boyfriend’s Script and Acting
All of the characters in this movie were dumb, but the boyfriend was, by far, the dumbest. At the beginning, they set him up to appear to be a nice guy, but even the way he says, “Sound good?” to the Frankie (his girlfriend, the main character) when he makes a suggestion sounds sleazy. Eventually, all of the friends see the evil mannequin and the he comes home to them all freaked out and he tells them to go home because he thinks they’re all crazy.
Eventually, he does believe them, but is in denial and has a Jack Nicholson in “The Shining”-like meltdown where all he types on his computer is something about the mannequin, but that’s not before he shouts one of the most ridiculous lines of all time, “I’m a PhD candidate! I know more than you ever will!”
The Mannequin Looks Stupid
There’s nothing menacing about the evil mannequin. It is just a plain, skin-colored mannequin with no scary features and nothing that stands out. It looks like the filmmakers were brainstorming scary villains, looked around the room, and someone pointed at a mannequin and said, “That’ll do.” There’s no eerie movement, no unsettling design or anything. Its just a lifeless department store mannequin that occasionally teleports closer. The thing is just laughably bland and its almost comical how it just teleports all over the place without looking evil.
The Wise Old Man
Without spoiling the movie, Frankie and her friends seek help from someone who had experience with this evil before. They find him online and ask him to help. When he finally makes his appearance, he just looks silly. He’s wearing absurd white contact lenses to make him appear blind or something? There’s no eye condition that makes your eyes look like that. He dramatically finishes his coffee after telling the story of how the mannequin terrorized him for 30 years and proclaims, “Good coffee, I’d kill for some more.” The delivery of this line is so ridiculous. This character gives off Decker vibes from that great Key & Peele skit.
Alright, I don’t want to keep rambling about how terrible this movie is. But I do need you to watch it so I’m not suffering alone. It’s like when you smell something awful and immediately shove it under your friend’s nose, saying, “Oh god, this is disgusting. Smell it!” Why do we do that? Misery loves company?
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