The Hive

This is a movie that I got the chance to see thanks to Justin Cook who sent over a screener. This sounded intriguing the bit that I read. When I confirmed that this was a horror film and a 2023 release, I agreed to watch. Other than that, I came into this one blind.

Synopsis: a couple returns home from a night out to find two sadistic strangers waiting to terrorize them.

We are following a couple of Penny (Christie Griffin) and Albie (Timothy Haug). She is getting ready as they're going to see a play. Albie is a screenwriter. He's in a rough patch and struggling. He doesn't seem to notice his wife. There is a chip on his shoulder as well due to him being successful and giving them the life that they have. We can see that problems have built up between the two. The night almost doesn't happen after comments being made.

It does seem to go well. Penny wants to have drinks and maybe get intimate. Their children are being watched by her mother and going to stay the night. We see how deep their problems are when they get a flat tire. We also see that he might not be present in his family's life. He also thinks that he does more than what he does, not seeing how difficult life can be for Penny.

There is an even more odd turn. They get home to find another couple in their house, they are played by Miles Taber and Julianne Ruck. The police are called but hang up on Albie and Penny. Even their neighbor, Mark (Mark Norwood), is against them. The strange couple make a deal to have them come inside and talk. They are looking for something. Albie and Penny leave when a gun is pulled.

They regroup and think of what they'll do. There is also something odd about her sister Kimmy (Whitney Reade). They ask to stay with her and are denied. Instead, they want to figure out what the strange couple is after. There are much darker forces at play and they aren't sure how connected they are either.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is that this doesn't have the deepest story. It doesn't necessarily need it though either. At the crux of this, we are getting more of a story about this couple and how broken they are. It almost feels like this night is their breaking point. They can either reconcile or it could be too much. There is its own tension there since I've been in that place with a relationship. I appreciate Haug and Griffin's performances as well. They feel like a couple that is struggling.

Now I knew coming in what the force behind what is causing the issues was. The title is creative. We are dealing with a hive mind. The strange couple is also trying to figure out how to get into the collective conscious or something along those lines. They want information from central intelligence. I wasn't completely sure if they just wanted to get onto our internet or if they were looking for something deeper. If it is the latter or just needing classified info, it is interesting since they think that humans have a collective, hive mind. That would seem that they were projecting that we are more like them than what we are. How we are set up, there are so many secrets and it can be difficult to crack without knowing what you're looking for. I am going vague here to not spoil as well if you couldn't tell.

I do need to shift over to a negative here. We focus too much on this couple and their issues. I get using it to set the stage. This allows them to disagree on how to handle things and they're so close to a blow up at any little thing. The problem though is that makes it more of a drama and I'm less interested. Seeing how weird this strange couple is had my attention. Then seeing how the police are in on it and their neighbor, Mark, not seeming to recognize them. That is eerie. It isn't something that we haven't seen before, but 'body snatching' narratives have my attention. There are more things that we could explore instead of what we did. Like why was this couple chosen and not another? He seems like a screenwriter so what makes him the target? I don't have these answers so that is part of my issue.

Let me then shift from the story to the acting. I've already said that I liked Haug and Griffin. They're not great, but they do feel like this couple. There is fear there with what they're going through, which is good. Taber and Ruck work as this strange couple. A lot of what they do is with their facial expressions. They also talk robotic and their use of words is odd. That was believable for me. Norwood was good along with Reade and the rest of the cast to round this out for what was needed. No one was great, but I didn't have issues which is all that matters. They take on believable characters in the framework of the narrative.

All that is left then is filmmaking. I'd say that the cinematography is fine. It doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. I do like how they frame things we are seeing in the house from outside. That adds tension to me since we can see the person who if they detect the people outside would create issues. Seeing them avoid detection like they do adds tension. There aren't a lot in the way of effects, but we get some. I thought what we did was good. They looked practical there. No issues. I'd also say that the soundtrack was fine. It fit for what was needed without necessarily standing out.

In conclusion, this movie is one that isn't necessarily doing anything new but was still solid. I do like this variation on the 'body snatching' narrative. Haug and Griffin bring their characters to life, but I did want a bit more from the story. It focuses too much on their problems and less on what would be more interesting. There are elements left out that would have made this more intriguing. This is made well enough. I like what they do with limited, practical effects. None of the other things held this back. Not one that I can recommend to everyone. I will say if you like lower budget cinema, this doesn't do anything to hold it back aside from focus.

My Rating: 6 out of 10.