The killer animal subgenre of horror has been on a relatively steady decline recently, and creature features in general, except for some blockbusters, including The Meg, Beast, and Jurassic Park. So, amongst a slew of Asylum projects and other low-budget, low-effort fare like—oh God—Amityville Shark House and others, it is refreshing to see Kiah Roache-Turner’s Sting hit theaters and showcase why entertaining creature features deserve their chance in the limelight once again. Sting may be far from a perfect movie, but it hits all the right notes when needed.
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Australian director Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, Nekrotronic) steps away from his native country to set Sting in New York City. Beset by a snowstorm, the residents of an unassuming apartment building must suddenly contend with an alien spider that crash-lands into the structure from space. The young and rebellious Charlotte (Alyla Browne) quickly adopts the spider, affectionately naming it Sting after glimpsing a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and sets about caring for it. Unfortunately for Charlotte and the other residents, Sting’s body grows with its hunger until it desires more than cockroaches and other vermin.
Beyond surviving the rapidly expanding Sting in a cramped complex, the apartment’s residents all have their own stories to navigate. Charlotte’s family is at the heart of the film; her stepfather, Ethan (Ryan Corr), struggles to establish a meaningful connection with Charlotte despite working on a comic book together, and a new baby complicates matters further. Ethan’s relationship with his wife, Heather (Penelope Mitchell), teeters unsteadily as their careers take time away from the kids and each other, and the two maintain a secret from Charlotte about her biological father.
Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
The family drama is appreciated, if not overbearing at times. Seeing Charlotte’s relationship with her stepfather evolve throughout the film is equally frustrating and endearing, but the sheer amount of familial bonding arguably takes away from the spider horror. Factor in Heather’s mother, who has Alzheimer’s and lives upstairs with her tyrannical landlord sister, and you have plenty of character arcs that eat up screen time. Still, it is rare to see meaningful development like this in a creature feature executed reasonably well, so credit where credit is due.
Luckily, two other tenants and an amusing exterminator offer much-needed breaks from the stepfather/daughter bonding experiment and chances to flex creature designer Wētā Workshop’s impressive skills. The practical monster is at its best in the film’s early moments, eerily escaping its confines and prowling the vents and dark corners of the dingy apartment building. Sting’s gooey, intense finale escalates the action to Alien-like proportions, turning the spider into a full-blown H.R. Giger-inspired nightmare. The pacing and tone change feels natural and leads to an overall satisfying conclusion.
Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
Sting shines when Browne is on the screen, effectively portraying either a badass spider-wrangler or an emotionally vulnerable young girl, and when the eponymous alien arachnid stalks its unsuspecting victims. There are some excellent kills throughout, enhanced by more disturbing effects and plenty of skin-tingling moments of suspense and dread when Sting threatens to achieve its gluttonous goals. Also, the movie effectively strikes a delicate balance between silly humor and downright tension.
On the other hand, the family drama, even concerning the mother and aunt, is spread a bit too thin and detracts from some otherwise enjoyable moments of terror. Some of the acting performances are dull, as are the cinematography and sound design at times (besides the fear-inducing angles and sounds of the ravenous spider). Still, Sting is an enjoyable creature feature with a great monster at its helm that proudly flaunts its inspirations and mostly lives up to their timeless legacies.
Sting is now playing in select theaters nationwide.
A well written review that, first, tells me what I need to know and, second, points out the movie’s flaws to prepare me for the tedium. Giving deeper character relationships can be fine but I don’t need to know everything about every tenant in the building. Great effects and a cool monster are what we expect these days. But dull acting, cinematography and sound design are what can keep me away. Big time.
I’m not generally a horror fan, but thanks for the review.
It knew exactly what it wanted to be, and that’s why it worked
To quote the great Randy Jackson, “that’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.”
Looking forward to catching this some time!
“Ever wonder what happened to all the other people stung by a spider that wasn’t blue and red?”
“OMG, that’s gold!”
A well done film in the killer beasts genre. This time involving a giant spider, terrorizing an apartment building in Brooklyn. Some good jump scares and an interesting set of characters living in the apartment. Not a must see on the big screen, but will be entertaining for many. 3 of 4 stars