Blink Twice

Stars: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, Kyle MacLachlan, Simon Rex, Zoe Kravitz

Director: Zoe Kravitz

Sad to say, but actress Kravitz's directorial debut is a turkey. It could almost have been called Get Out 2 were comparisons with Jordan Peele's horror classic not so odious.

Frida (Ackie) and Jess (Shawkat) are waitresses at a function for disgraced tycoon Slater King (a noticeably balding Tatum), who is apologetic for his past peccadilloes and headed for a retreat on his private island, to which the girls find themselves miraculously invited.

They, and three other girls disembark at King's fabulous mansion there, where they are wined and dined, all given the same white swimsuits for the pool, as well as strange-tasting strawberries in their cocktails and the same distinctive perfume - and generally flirted with by King and his friends, including hat-wearing deputy Vic (Slater) and Stacy (Davis in an underwritten role), who seems to be the centre's equivalent of a brothel madame.

All is well at first, with non-stop sunshine and asexual orgies to enjoy, until fingernails begin the shatter, noses start to bleed and horrific hallucinations move in. 'There's something wrong with this,' mutters Jess, just before she's bitten by a snake and subsequently disappears (only Frida seems to remember her) and Frida herself makes some strange discoveries.

Everything ends predictably in a 'guest hunt', with ensuing bloodbath and final conflagration thrown in. Tatum turns his good-guy image on its head to some effect, but the film, packed with plotholes, has no meaning or forward momentum, while its tailpiece is even more ridiculous than the movie itself.

David Quinlan

USA/Mexico 2024. UK Distributor: Warner Brothers (MGM). Colour by de luxe.
101 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 2, Swearing 2.

Review date: 22 Aug 2024