"Get Away" (2024)

by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden

In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Steffen Haars’ Get Away, written by and starring Nick Frost.

Synopsis

A family's — Richard Smith (Frost), his wife Susan (Aisling Bea), their daughter Jessie (Maisie Ayres) and son Sam (Sebastian Croft) — vacation to a remote getaway takes an unexpected turn when they discover the island they're on is inhabited by a serial killer.

The Good

Joseph: Many of the set-ups of Get Away will be familiar to fright-fare fanatics, but that is purely by design as Frost’s screenplay wonderfully sends up the “no strangers welcome here” subgenre of horror, in this case riffing mainly on British folk horror, but the beats and jokes will work regardless of viewers’ home locales. The four main cast members are all terrific in their performances, and their family dynamic is fun to watch unfold. Frost is obviously no stranger to horror comedy, from Shaun of the Dead to this year’s Krazy House, and his screenplay is rich with knowledge of the genre. From sarcastic barbs to gruesome sight gags to one-liners that hit out of the blue, the humor is in fine play, but the suspense expected from a horror film is also in fine measure. Haars balances the gore and the guffaws quite nicely.

Mike: For the first two acts of Get Away I was silently cursing Joseph for subjecting me to a folk horror film, one of my least favorite sub-genres. I soldiered on and enjoyed the set-ups and humor, this being a comedy there were plenty of jabs taken at the expense of the type of film it ultimately started to lampoon. Keeping my mind on the task at hand was made easier by the family on holiday led by Frost and Bea and their kids played by Ayers and Croft — all four have great chemistry and play well against one another as a loving family that still tosses a few darts at each other’s direction, giving them quite the realistic turn.

My interest piqued a bit when I noticed a couple of clues just as the third act was about to start that made me think maybe — just maybe — I had been a bit too hasty in blaming Joseph for subjecting me to one of his folk horror films.

The Bad

Joseph: Once a major reveal occurs, the film still has about a third of its running time left, and I initially wondered where it could go. After that reveal, the third act meanders for a bit before coming to a satisfying climax.

Mike: When the third act starts we get swerved a bit and there’s not much else to do except watch as Get Away punches things up a bit with Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills,” which is about as perfect a song as one could ask for at this point of the film. Still, there’s a lot of run time to fill after things take a turn and some people may get a little restless as it limps to its finale.

The Verdict

Joseph: Horror comedy aficionados will want to put Get Away at the top of their need-to-see lists. Aside from some slight pacing issues in the final third or so, it’s a fun blast of the weird and the wacky, with no shortage of the red stuff.

Mike: Get Away is certainly not what it appears to be at first glance and if folk horror is a little too much for you to take seriously you will enjoy the jabs thrown that way as well as the direction the film veers in its final and enjoyable (if slightly sluggish) act.

Recommended for fans of unexpected twists, Nick Frost and, dare I say it, folk horror films.