Round the Decay Review

Round the Decay reviewDreamscape Productions

Round the Decay review

A folk horror/creature feature that takes the time to fully flesh out its characters.

New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.

In theaters January 31

Round the Decay review
Dreamscape Productions

Round the Decay

Directed by Adam Newman

Written by Adam Newman

Starring Victoria Mirrer, Damian Maffei, Sienna Hubert-Ross, Melody Kay, Phil Duran, Sarah Nicklin, Rachel Pizzolato and Roger Clark

Round the Decay Review

One of my favorite aspects of the Christmas gateway horror comedy classic Gremlins is how it introduces you to small town life in the picturesque Kingston Falls.  We spend most of the first act meeting various characters and learning about their day-to-day struggles.  Then, in a brilliant storytelling decision, it unceremoniously drops those plotlines.  Small town struggles swept away by the chaos of a Gremlin invasion.  Remember Billy’s problems with Mrs. Deagle’s attempt to take his dog?  Or Judge Reinhold causing him grief at the bank (and setting up a potential love triangle)?  Or the set-up of Billy providing for his family while his father’s failed inventions bring home nothing?  It’s all wiped out as soon as Billy accidentally breaks two of the rules of Mogwai ownership.

I always liked this choice because of what it said without having to say it.  Something more dangerous, more important, was happening in Kingston Falls.  It’s not time to worry about your debts or ducking out from conversations with your oddly pleasant but obviously racist neighbor.  The first act of Gremlins presents a lot of threads that go nowhere…but they also provide a strong, lasting look at who these people are.  When the Gremlin crisis upends their existence…we know how we feel about these people.  It’s why we’re happy when Mrs. Deagle takes a stair lift ride straight to Hell.  It’s why we’re happy that Billy and Kate find love…and don’t really notice that Judge Reinhold completely vanishes from the story.  Why we know Mr. Futterman would rather risk his life addressing an antenna in icy conditions than watch one more minute of a foreign film on his tv set.

Round the Decay review
Dreamscape Productions

So, why have I spent the first two paragraphs of our Round the Decay review talking about a specific story design of a 40-year-old movie that most people probably never think about?  Because Round the Decay gets it.  This folk horror/creature feature doesn’t include cuddly looking creatures that would look good stuck to the inside of your car window.  Nor does it have a fleet of chaotic imps well versed in technology and obsessed with Snow White.  What it does have, however, is a keen understanding of how to present the first act of a movie where a small town is going to be turned upside down.  Reaping the same benefits of character development…while still twisting the design completely.  Instead of abandoning the ultimately worthless politics Kingston Falls…Round the Decay reveals the importance, and depth, of those politics in its Newport’s Valley.  The result is a sharp divide between people you care about…and people you would like to see get the Mrs. Deagle treatment.

The catalyst for the town’s undoing is a creature accidentally let loose by a group of hikers.  A wheezing, shrieking humanoid creature that will carve you upon sight.  It’s a great creature design from face to movement.  It’s called the Wrexsoul…and its very existence is tied to Newport’s Valley itself.  We learn all about its backstory as Round the Decay unfolds.  Both from the shady side of the town’s past…and from Munroe (Damian Maffei…excellent again here as he was in Black Eyed Susan), who has come to Newport’s Valley to kill the creature.  The inclusion of a protagonist to hunt the creature is a great choice.  Munroe arrives right when Round the Decay turns its attention from small town drama to survival.  His character changes the energy of the story.

Round the Decay review
Dreamscape Productions

After spending some time learning about the difficulties of off-season business ownership in Newport’s Valley…and meeting Kenzie (Victoria Mirrer), a woman returning to the town where tragedy struck her two years earlier…it’s time for Round the Decay to unleash its creature.  And to reveal its secrets…and monsters.  We follow Munroe, and a group of established local outcasts, as they attempt to survive the creature’s wrath.  Meanwhile, Newport’s Valley’s elite are locked away in the perceived safety of the local ice rink.  Instead of dropping the threads created before the Wrexsoul is freed, Round the Decay pulls them closer together.  Offering easy to root for protagonists…and some truly despicable antagonists to root against. 

Amidst the dark secrets and head ripping fun…Round the Decay even manages to pack in some effective comedic moments.  Usually centered around how the townsfolk react to run-ins with the Wrexsoul.  Munroe is calm, cool and collected in the face of the beast.  His newfound running mates?  Not so much.  There’s enough bloodshed and creature action to satiate creature feature fans.  Enough dark secrets from the past revealed to please those who want a good folk horror story.  And, because of its early commitment to character building and establishing life in Newport’s Valley, more than enough reason to care about all of it.

Scare Value

Round the Decay combines folk horror with creature feature and elevates both with a commitment to character building. If you want to see monster hunter tracking a creature…it’s here. A small town destroyed by ancient secrets and a killing machine…it’s here. Some trauma horror…bad people getting what they deserve…and a few laughs along the way? Round the Decay has all of it.

3.5/5

Pre-Order Tickets at DreamscapeProductions.com

Round the Decay Trailer

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