One of my favorite movie scares this year is from Host, the Zoom-set horror movie that’s better than it has any right to be. Without giving too much away, the scene involved a face (spoiler here), and it was both goofy and chilling, as the best horror movie scares often are. Come Play takes that idea, and makes an entire movie of it.
Directed by Jacob Chase, Come Play stars Gillian Jacobs (Britta!) and John Gallagher, Jr. as the parents of a young autistic boy named Oliver who uses his tablet to communicate with others, including Larry, a “tall and pale and thin” monster who’s glimpsed mostly through screens (hence the comparison to Host). Larry “just wants a friend,” which is bad news for Oliver and Oliver’s parents, who have to protect their son.
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
Newcomer Azhy Robertson stars as Oliver, a lonely young boy who feels different from everyone else. Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses Oliver’s devices against him to break into our world, Oliver’s parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher, Jr.) must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen.
Come Play opens on October 30.
