Sick came out of nowhere for me. It basically suddenly appeared at the beginning of the year with almost no talk about it before popping up on Peacock. This was the second movie of the year that Blumhouse released and as far as I’m concerned, they’ve knocked it out of the park both times. If this is the same kind of quality of slashers we’re in for this year we’re in for some high-quality stuff. The fact that this is set during the beginning of the pandemic adds something to the story that I wasn’t expecting.
The use of the pandemic as the catalyst of everything that happens in the movie makes sense. Kevin Williamson and Katelyn Crabb wrote a solid script that I wasn’t expecting. I feel like there are some references/easter eggs to other slashers, or at least one series. The violence in the script worked well with John Hyams’ experience with action movies. His style worked surprisingly well with his action sensibilities.
Gideon Adlon and Beth Million are great as the leads in Sick. I found myself rooting for both of them and wanting them to make it through the whole ordeal. Dylan Sprayberry, Marc Menchaca, and Jane Adams are great too. Jane Adams is frightening as her large eyes and sweet look is off set by the performance she put in. She’s the most frightening of the killers even though she’s the least physically threatening of the group.
The effects are great in Sick. The practical effects make the violence that happens throughout the movie feel even more visceral than it would be otherwise. The stunt team did a great job with both the fight scenes but also the variety of stunts throughout the movie. The music by Nima Fakhrara is great at building tension. I also appreciate the use of “A Little Respect” by Erasure, which always makes me chuckle because of Scrubs.
Sick is a great slasher that makes use of the concept to a fantastic degree. This is basically a slasher made by an action director, which might be the reason why the violence feels so visceral. This being a Peacock exclusive is great for the service but a shame since it wasn’t released in theaters and Sick would feel great on the big screen. I give Sick 9 facemasks out of 10.