It’s not all that unusual for a kid to be scared of their own home. Or at the very least, a certain part of it. Corners, attics, and closets can all be frightening for no sound reason. However, in the movie Cobweb, the young main character has good reason to be afraid of his surroundings; he is subjected to a series of strange, disembodied sounds in his walls every night. The boy’s mother and father don’t seem that concerned, especially when the noises conveniently disappear upon their inspection. But as any kid will tell you, the scary things in the dark always have a way of hiding themselves from the adults.
Samuel Bodin‘s Cobweb takes place in the days leading up to Halloween, giving an already unnerving story an extra layer of eeriness. And after a brief tour of the protagonist’s house in the opening scene, it becomes evidently clear why Peter (Woody Norman) is always on edge. What might look old and unassuming on the outside is really rather gothic and sad on the inside. The strangest house on the block also happens to have its own creepy pumpkin patch, but ironically, Peter’s parents don’t celebrate the one holiday these orange gourds are best known for.
Peter sets off a dreadful chain of events when he refuses to stay quiet anymore. He asks questions about the goings-on in his home rather than continue to be stoic. The arrival of a concerned substitute teacher — the aptly named Miss Devine (Cleopatra Coleman) — then validates Peter’s anxieties as well as frustrates his overbearing, shady parents (played by Lizzy Caplan and Antony Star). In due time, Peter gets the answers he wanted all along, but as everyone knows, the truth is sometimes too much to bear.
There is an unmistakable fairytale quality about Cobweb. The story is indeed set in modern times, but you can’t deny its almost mythical narrative. From Caplan and Starr’s wicked parent roles to the heroic Miss Devine swooping in to help a child locked up in the tower (well, a basement), Bodin and screenwriter Chris Thomas Devlin reconstitute bits and pieces from various Brothers Grimm classics. Interestingly, though, the director and writer don’t dwell on the obvious moral lesson here like many traditional fairytales. They instead emphasize as well as augment the overtly horrific parts of their movie.
Due in large part to its fairytale structure and inspiration, Cobweb will be mistaken for something derivative. And most likely, it will be compared to similar horror movies of yesteryear, including Mama and Lights Out. All the familiar beats and tropes are accounted for in some form or another: the childhood boogeyman, the skeptical adults, the climactic battle set in the dark. It’s all here. What ultimately redeems everything is the script’s ability to reinterpret clichés. Also vital to the movie’s performance is the director’s commitment to telling a twisted and uncanny story with visuals to match.
Cobweb may have a tough time standing out among all these modern horror movies about kids and the supernatural entities haunting them, but specific deviations and flourishes give it more individuality.
Tales from the Paulside 
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