Appendage

Appendage
Starring Hadley Robinson, Emily Hampshire, Brandon Mychal Smith, Kausar Mohammed
Directed by Anna Zlovovic

Horror movies work on a deeper level when it focuses on real life horrors and turn them into something that's equally terrifying on a real life level as well as a supernatural one. "The Babadook" is an intense study on grief and resentment wrapped around an intriguing mystery of an evil book that brings to life a demonic two-dimensional being. "It Follows" focuses on the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases through the story of an entity that follows you silently, and if it touches you, you die in a terrible fashion. While films like this work and have elevated the horror genre, others have tried to leave their imprint but haven't been as successful - and "Appendage" is one of those.

Hannah (Hadley Robinson) is a troubled woman. She has a terrible relationship with her wealthy, emotionally distant parents. She's a fashion designer who strives for perfection since her boss demands it. She is worried that her boyfriend Kaelin (Brandon Mychal Smith) and her best friend Esther (Kauser Mohammed) are having an affair. All of these worries causes a mental strain and also affects Hannah physically, as something begins growing out of her. Finally free, the creature starts telling Hannah that she's worthless and unlovable, and Hannah seeks out help from a special support group that could cause her more harm than good, as the appendage grows and has one desire - to take over Hannah's life.


The Good:
"Appendage" is a deep look into the personal psyche and how we all have that negative aspect of our personality that constantly tells us we're not good enough, we're not worthy of love, and every other negative thing. It personifies it in the appendage itself, which feeds off Hannah's insecurities. Much like the titular Babadook, it grows in power as Hannah weakens, ultimately trying to wear her down so it can take her place. Again, it's a personification of our deepest worst thoughts that want to rise to the surface and drag us down into the darkness within, and it's a fascinating tale that "Appendage" tries to tell.

The creature itself is a fun blend of the "Basket Case" twin and classic Spielberg "E.T." like creature, as first-time director Anna Zlovovic uses practical puppet effects to create the creature instead of relying on CGI. Personally I'm a huge fan of practical effects even if they don't come off perfectly, because of the painstaking effort it takes to make it happen, as opposed to clicking a few buttons. The creature is ugly to be sure, and really sticks with you.

The film focuses on mental illness in a personal way as you relate to Hannah on a deep level. She gets gaslit by her mother in one of the film's most terrifying scenes - and one that doesn't involve any supernatural monsters. Hannah is talking about how she tried to kill herself as a teen and asks her mother if she could think of how it would feel for someone to want to do that to themselves, and her mother replies coldly "no, because I'm not f**ked up." It's one of those breathtaking moments that really connects you to Hannah's plight, along with her stuffy, overbearing, wildly inappropriate boss who demands perfection, and you understand why Hannah gets stuck inside her own headspace. She is a fractured woman and in today's world there's a lot of us out there like that, and to that end the film really opens the viewers' eyes on the mental illness and that it's not something that just goes away - it's something we deal with daily, and have to live in balance with it.


The Bad:
The film's first half really focuses on the realistic portrayal of mental illness of depression and perfection, but then halfway through it switches tone and turns into a body horror action doppelgänger situation that eliminates all subtleties and instead focuses on the truly absurd and honestly dumb tropes that horror movies fall into. A couple times I found myself commenting on character actions on the screen that 1) didn't make sense for their character and 2) focused on the stupidity of horror film tropes like them. If the film relied more on the mental anguish it could've been one of those elevated horror films people would remember fondly, but as it is it's one that'll disappear from your memory not long after watching.

The film is billed as a horror comedy, and while there was a couple chuckle-worthy moments, it took itself too seriously for its own good - but again in a film focusing on mental illness, it really shouldn't be funny in the first place. The serious aspects of the film is the movie's bright moments, but when it delves into the dark humor territory it loses its soul in the process.


The Summary:
Offering what could've been a deep dive into the issues of mental illness, "Appendage" instead resorts to generic horror with all the classic tropes that make for a frustratingly disjointed movie.


The Score: C+