Grafted review
Shudder’s latest is a body horror movie that overcomes a lack of focus with sheer madness.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Grafted
Directed by Sasha Rainbow
Written by Lee Murray, Sasha Rainbow, Mia Maramara and Hweiling Ow
Starring Joyena Sun, Jess Hong, Eden Hart, Sepi To’a, Jared Turner, Xiao Hu, Mark Mitchinson, Ginette McDonald and Sam Wang
Grafted Review
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is the talk of Hollywood this week…having become only the seventh horror movie to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. People debate what qualifies as horror…but for our purposes the previous six nominees were: The Exorcist, Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense, Black Swan and Get Out. As notable were its other nominations. Having scored a nod in three other major categories (Best Director, Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay), The Substance has distinguished itself as one of the most respected horror films in the history of the Oscars. Obviously, the craft and talent behind and in front of the camera won over voter’s hearts…but horror fans know that the absolutely bonkers final act of the movie is what gives The Substance its power.
Shudder’s somewhat timely release of Grafted takes another angle on the pursuit of beauty. It isn’t as good as The Substance…let’s dispel that idea right off the bat. But it has one important thing in common with the breakthrough critical darling. It’s at its best the crazier it becomes. In the case of Grafted…that’s an especially necessary detail. I’m not sure how well anything in its story would hold up to examination if it weren’t for the distractions provided by the increasingly insane face-swapping madness.
Wei (Joyena Sun) has a large marking on her face that makes her feel ugly and unwanted. Her father is a scientist who bares the same affliction. His attempt to graft experimental skin to his blemish goes horribly…leaving Wei alone and determined to finish his work. She receives a scholarship to a university in New Zealand…and a place to stay with extended family. She’s immediately ostracized from her cousin Angela’s (Jess Hong) friend group…spending her days working to solve her abnormality. When tensions with Angela boil over…Wei is left standing over a dead body…with a unique way to cover up the crime.
Grafted’s best trick is its utterly insane face-swapping mechanic. Wei parades around as a few familiar faces…leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. It’s completely absurd, of course…but it’s also a lot of fun. Don’t ask how it works. There’s no explanation that is going to make what happens over the course of Grafted make the slightest bit of sense. What matters is that it delivers a fun ride of increasing madness. In doing so, it largely leaves any emotional connection to Wei’s desire for beauty and acceptance in the rear-view mirror. Aside from some understated moments of seeing what life is like for the popular kids…Grafted’s premise is completely drowned out by Wei’s wild antics.
And it’s better for it. With the caveat that you really aren’t going to want to spend any time thinking about how any of this is possible (it makes Face/Off look like a routine procedure). It will ruin the illusion, and you’ll miss out on the fun. Take it as it is…a face-swapping slasher flick that hints at being about something more. It really isn’t. It might be to the people that made it…but any meaning is lost in a sea of deliciously over-the-top choices. The characters are paper thin…but that makes it more fun when Wei steps into their shoes. Performances are fun in an equally silly and over-the-top way. While the first half of Grafted points towards something deeper…it finds itself wading in the shallow end for the most part. It’s where all the fun is.
Grafted arrives at the absolute peak of popularity for that other recent beauty obsessed body horror movie. Strangely enough, it may fare better because of comparison than be hurt by it. It’s doing something different, obviously. But it’s willingness to lose any messaging in its pursuit of fun turns it into an easily watchable ride worth taking.
Scare Value
They say beauty is only skin deep. In a lot of ways that’s true of Grafted as well. Thinking too hard about the how or why of everything that happens would ruin the fun of watching it happen. Perhaps that’s not the strongest endorsement…but Grafted delivers (and buckles under inspection) the crazier it becomes. A fun watch as long as you don’t want to peak under the surface.
3/5
Grafted Link
Streaming on Shudder
