Snatchers

This was a film that I got the chance to see via screener from Raindance Film Festival. It made its world premiere there. What caught my interest was knowing that this is a 2025 horror film. I saw the poster was the only other thing, so I came into this one blind.

Synopsis: a pair of lifelong friends try to make a quick buck by selling the organs of a fresh corpse but get thrown a curve ball when she wakes up on the operating table.

We start this off with seeing Jane Doe (Hannah McKenzie) laying on an autopsy table. Her eyes are white and we see that she's clearly dead. The two friends from the synopsis are here with her. Wolfe MacFarlane who goes by Mac (Craig Alexander) is struggling to start the incision. Jason Fettes (Justin Hosking) is his buddy and he mocks him for his hesitation. They're in for quite a start though. Jane sits up and gets off the operating table.

Now we then go into the past. We learn that these two guys work at a hospital. There is something odd going on but we don't truly know what it is. What I can say is that Jason is a body snatcher. The plan here is to take a body to harvest the organs to make millions of dollars. What we will learn is Jason is in over his head. He's now implicated with his friend. There is only so much time to complete this job.

That becomes problematic when Jane gets up. She shows that she's clearly not dead. Mac thinks that she was just in a suspended animation. Jason believes she's a zombie or a demon, something along these lines. The two friends are torn on what to do with her. Mac can't go through with their plan. Jane sees this and clings to him, playing on the fact that he had a daughter where something bad happened to her and Mac couldn't help. She tells him that she's a scientist and that a rival poisoned her. She tells something completely different to Jason and does everything she can to drive a divide between the two, resulting in violence.

I think that is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. What I'll first give credit to is that this has a crisp runtime of under 90 minutes. That is something I appreciated since there isn't much filler here. If I have a gripe with that, it does jump right in and it took me the first fifteen minutes to settle in. Once I figured out what they were doing, I went along for the ride. This is an interesting character study where we don't know what is true and what we can trust when Jane isolates these two guys. I'll end this out by saying that it does feel inspired by The Autopsy of Jane Doe, if we toned down the horror.

Next, I'll discuss the characters. Mac appears to be a doctor, likely a pathologist which explains why he's skilled in autopsies. Jason also seems to work in the field, though his specific role is unclear. We learn Mac has a daughter who may have passed away and he's struggling with the aftermath. Jane exploits this by having him stand in for her father, a man who did good but may have been bad. Mac becomes protective of her, leading to future conflicts. Alexander, as co-director and writer, has deeper insight into Mac, bringing the character to life.

Then over to his friend, Jason. Now he gets these two into trouble. He agrees to harvest the organs from a body, but time is running short. I believe he's in debt to bad people. When Jane wakes up, she plays on him being attracted to her. This makes him question things. There is also a secret that is harbored between him and Mac, as well as unrequited feelings. Hosking is also good in how he plays this role.

The last one would then be McKenzie. She is quite interesting because when we first meet her, she's dead. It was seeing that made me think of the other movie that I've brought up. We see her topless there. It makes me sit up when we see her eyes back normal and she's moving around. Now I like that she tells different stories to these guys. Credit to filmmaking there because we see them playing out while she is narrating them. Now as I said, what she tells Jason goes sexual so we see her in lingerie, performing sex acts. What is great about her performance, when she's talking to Mac, she comes off sweet and innocent. She's the complete opposite with Jason, so credit the range from her.

Is this horror? IMDb doesn't list it, but I think it qualifies, especially with the ending's implications. Without spoiling, there are two interpretations: either it's purely logical (a neuro-toxin caused suspended animation, leading to her being pronounced dead), or, as Jason believes, she's a demon or zombie. A third option is that it's all in their heads. I lean supernatural due to the ending, but the filmmakers leave it open to interpretation so I give credit there.

There isn't much more of a cast so I'll say P. J. Williams, Jim Punnett, and Nick Steain provide adequate support, they help push our characters to where they end up. Let's then finish out with filmmaking. Cinematography and framing are strong, featuring interesting angles and a subtly unsettling perspective. Limited but realistic effects, particularly the "milky eyes," enhance the creepiness. The visual storytelling of her tales is a highlight. The soundtrack is fitting, though not particularly memorable.

In conclusion, this is a compelling character study that thrives on its ambiguity and psychological depth. With a tight runtime and strong performances from McKenzie, Alexander, and Hosking, it navigates the murky waters of trust, manipulation, and perception. While its horror elements are subtle, the film masterfully crafts an unsettling atmosphere and leaves the audience to ponder the true nature of Jane Doe and the events that unfold. If you appreciate films that delve deep into character dynamics and offer room for personal interpretation, Snatchers comes highly recommended.

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.