Quadrant

This was a movie that I got the chance to see via screener thanks to Laura from Scandal Co-Active. Seeing that this was a new Full Moon film had me intrigued, especially since they've been solid with this new era. The press release said that Full Moon is now doing a new line called Pulp Noir, which I can appreciate. The synopsis was something I read and then confirmed that this was either horror or close to it. Being a 2024 release also helped.

Synopsis: developed by scientists Harry (Rickard Cleason) and Meg (Emma Reinagel), the 'Quadrant' helmet allows your mind to transport you into a world where all your phobias and nightmares are real, while also granting you the strength to defeat them. But the experiment goes terribly wrong when Erin (Shannon Barnes), a young woman who's obsessed with Jack the Ripper uses the device to become him.

We start this off with a black and white, green screen background. I'll be honest, with this opening scene I was worried that this was going to be the movie. We follow Erin as she walks along the street and then goes inside of a building. It is there that she sees a murder victim. She should be terrified but looks to be more intrigued. There is then a hooded figure who hands her a large knife.

This turns out to be a simulation. It is the one from the synopsis. The two doctors running the experiment are Harry and Meg. They've created this helmet to help people face fears and phobias. While they're doing a debriefing with Erin, another patient arrives. His name is Robert (Christian Carrigan). He has been a part of this for a year. What we will learn is that he is terrified of everything and lives in a constant state of fear. He hopes this experiment will help, but it doesn't seem to.

Now there is a bit of an issue from the start. Erin doesn't seem to be afraid of what she saw. If anything, she embraces it. So much so that the next time she goes in, she kills a victim. We can see that it is a rush and she loves it. The victim in the Quadrant world was played by Lexi Lore. Then real-life mimics what she did when she takes a homeless woman, Kaylene Snarsky, back to her place to kill her. Erin also befriends Robert, thinking that she can help him. The bigger issue here is that Meg notices the helmet turned on when no one is using it. She fears that Erin never fully came out of her last session and still has a connection with that world. This is just the start of a nightmare that continues to grow.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that seeing C. Courtney Joyner was the writer intrigues me. He has done schlocky stuff in the past, but also worked on things like Class of 1999 and Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge so I know he write good stuff. I'll say here that there are things that had me on board. There were nitpicks that I'll have as well.

Let me then start with positives. I love this idea of a helmet that will allow people using it to face their fears and phobias. In the case that we have here, this is perfect for Robert. We never truly understand what his fears are as it seems like they're just pushing the idea that he's afraid of everything. Erin doesn't seem to have any fears. This experiment needs volunteers and since she is getting paid, she agrees. That makes sense to me. The logic she uses is that she wants to write a true crime novel about Jack the Ripper, so her reasoning is that is she can use this virtual reality to get closer, maybe she can write the definite novel. My only issue there is that they selected a killer where there are so many books written about him since it is one of the most popular unsolved cases in the history. None of this is a negative I'll hold against the movie as a disclaimer.

My issue here is that I don't understand how this experiment is supposed to work. I also don't know if that was necessarily a care for the story or the writing. Robert has been doing this for a year and doesn't seem to be progressing. Harry thinks that is a good thing. The simulation is supposed to give them the strength, but in his case it isn't. Erin's experiences is just her seeing the murders, then partaking. I get that your psyche helps shape your experience, I just feel that there needed a bit more developing here to come together.

I want to shift back to a positive. The changes to Erin work for me. I'm not sure how much of what we're getting is truly a change. It just seems more like a revealing and empowering darkness. I do think we get enough of a baseline with her opening scene to know that there is something off, but not to this level. Her character gains the confidence to finally snap and kill. The look of her when she finally dons the cape of Victorian England fashion is great. Robert says that she looks like Jekyll/Hyde. I would argument that she would be Hyde without the monstrous look. I do know there are films that have Hyde doing Jack the Ripper kills so I can roll with this concept. Barnes' performance was good, especially when she goes unhinged. I love the look of the character when she does.

I'll then go over to the acting. The best performer here is Barnes, but she is also given the most to work with. Being that is our villain, she has a good look, especially when they put her in this Jack the Ripper/Hyde style make-up. What adds to it is that she uses her sexuality as well, which I'll credit them. Cleason and Reinagel have an interesting dynamic. Harry just wants to trust the process where Meg points out potential issues. They're both fine. Carrigan is an interesting role since the classic approach would be for him to flipped with Erin, so I appreciate that. Robert is broken and he manages that well. Something I'll end out here saying that Lore, who is an adult movie star, is here to get naked and murdered. No issues there. We also see Snarsky and Barnes nude as well, if you're interested.

All that is left then is filmmaking. The cinematography is fine. This is filmed in Cleveland, OH and having lived there, I recognized bridges in the background. I like the use of this old-looking warehouse building. The framing is fine. They use quite a bit of CGI and a green screen. I'm forgiving it when they're in Quadrant. They use practical effects for blood, which works. There is just one time that stuck out using CGI for blood spray that I didn't like. Other than that, the soundtrack was fine for what was needed.

In conclusion, this movie was solid enough. I do like taking what you'd normally get and altering that with having an aggressive woman. They set up Erin and then show how unhinged she is. Credit to Barnes there as well. I do like the sci-fi angle. My only issue is that I don't know if enough care was given to the experiment as that left me questioning things. Other than that, I thought the cinematography, framing and practical effects were good. I only have slight issues with CGI used. Overall, if you like Full Moon, this is one of the better ones in this recent run combining classic source material with a bit of sleaze.

My Rating: 6 out of 10.