Spiral (2019 film)

Spiral is a Canadian horror thriller film, directed by Kurtis David Harder and released in 2019.[1] The film stars Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Ari Cohen as Malik and Aaron, respectively, a same-sex couple who move to a small town with their daughter Kayla (Jennifer Laporte), only to suspect that their initial welcome from their neighbors Marshall (Lochlyn Munro) and Tiffany (Chandra West) may be concealing something much more sinister.[2]

Spiral
Film poster
Directed byKurtis David Harder
Produced byChris Ball
Kurtis Daivd Harder
Colin Minihan
John Poliquin
Written byColin Minihan
John Poliquin
StarringJeffrey Bowyer-Chapman
Ari Cohen
Lochlyn Munro
Chandra West
Ty Wood
Music byAvery Kentis
CinematographyBradley Stuckel
Production
company
Digital Interference Productions
Hadron Films
Release date
  • August 25, 2019 (2019-08-25) (Arrow Video Frightfest)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The film premiered on August 25, 2019, at Arrow Video Frightfest[3] and was screened at other horror and LGBTQ film festivals through late 2019 and early 2020.[1] It premiered on Shudder in September 2020.[4]

Production

The movie was filmed in 2018, during a 21-day period in one of Alberta's smalls towns, on a relatively low budget.[5]

Critical reception

The movie received generally positive reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 77% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Spiral explores the tension between otherness and conformity with a well-acted horror story that chills even if it doesn't outright terrify."[6] Phil Wheat of Nerdly called it "an interesting look into the pressure of being minority" and believed that Bowyer-Chapman's performance was "the very epitome of tour-de-force."[7] His Name is Death editor Albert Nowicki praised the movie for its undertones and subtextual plot and applauded Harder for "finally giving gay characters the right to speak and tell their stories." He also stated the movie is "brave" and has "a lot of empathy."[8]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2020 Leo Awards Best Cinematography in a Motion Picture Bradley Stuckel Nominated [9]
2019 Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival Dan O'Bannon Under Worlds Best Feature Kurtis David Harder Won [10]
2021 HNiD Awards Best Screenplay Colin Minihan, John Poliquin 3rd place [11]
Best Actor Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman Write-in
Most Underappreciated Movie of a Year N/A Runner-up
Best Movie on Demand (VOD release) N/A 3rd place[lower-alpha 1]

Notes
  1. Ex-aequo with Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight.

References
  1. Clark Collis, "The neighbors are scary as hell in clip from horror film Spiral". Entertainment Weekly, October 18, 2019.
  2. Patrick Kelleher, "Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman faces off against terrifying, homophobic neighbours in spine-tingling new horror". Pink News, September 13, 2020.
  3. Phil Wheat, "Frightfest 2019: ‘Spiral’ Review". Nerdly, August 27, 2019.
  4. "Don’t trust the neighbors in the Shudder Original SPIRAL, starring Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman". Metrosource, September 6, 2020.
  5. Newby, Richard (September 3, 2020). "'Spiral' and Horror's Inclusion Moment". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  6. "Spiral (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  7. Wheat, Phil (August 27, 2019). "Frightfest 2019: 'Spiral' Review". Nerdly. Nerdly Ltd. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  8. Nowicki, Albert (October 1, 2020). "Kręci się spirala nienawiści. ('Spiral', 2019)". His Name is Death (in Polish). Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  9. "2020 Leo Awards, Nominees & Winners by Name". Leo Awards. May 26, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  10. "Congratulations to the 2019 Other Worlds Film Festival Dan O'Bannon Audience Award winners!". Instagram. December 9, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  11. Nowicki, Albert (January 11, 2021). "Druga edycja nagród HNiD". His Name is Death (in Polish). Retrieved January 11, 2021.
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