Knuckleball 2018 is a horror thriller movie from Freestyle Digital Media and 775 Media Corp. It is directed and co-written by Michael Peterson.
In the movie, we see parents, Mary, played by Kathleen Munroe, and Paul, played by Chenier Hundal, offload Henry, played by Luca Villacis, and their 12-year-old son Jacob, played by Michael Ironside, his grandfather, as they try to reconnect after a death in the family.
When Henry wakes and finds Jacob’s body cold and stuff, a panic sets in. Dixon, played by Munro Chamber, their neighbor, sees this as an advantageous opportunity. A snowstorm is approaching steadily, and Henry must look past his fears and outsmart the mystery man if he wishes to survive the night.
The points that make it a good watch
Michael Peterson has good experience in making short movies and has made more than a dozen in a decade. The small promotions of the movie also lured the audience to the wintry home invasion-themed flick.
The snow-filled locations make up for a beautiful, picturesque backdrop for the scenes and cinematography. The fact that there’s a snowstorm approaching makes it full of tension and adds to the severity.
Jon Thomas uses simple frames to deliver the plot with nice shots. The use of drones also adds to the experience with the aerial shots shown at the start of the movie.
The color grading of the movie also looks refined and natural. The soundtrack is clean, and the slow builds in the snow backdrop and keeps up as the slow tension begins to rise.
The pace of the movie is apt, and it doesn’t look fast. It gives you time to absorb everything, and the family dynamic is very eventful, which will be liked by the audience.
Acting feat
The performance by all the actors was solid; the actors had the flexibility to set their own rules for their characters, which was enjoyable.
Young Luca was a shocker for everyone. It is a gamble when the lead actor of the movie is a child, but Luca surprises everyone with his portrayal. To keep the audience hooked for 90 minutes is no easy job, especially when there are kids in such a gloomy fit.
The action scenes of the movie are carried out adequately without being dramatic. The script was dark, and a few scenes with violence and blood did a good job showing just that.
How did the movie end?
At the end of the movie, we see the kid looking at their grandfather looking back at him as the family is moving away, and it is a very clever way to show there is an illness in their family, especially on the grandfather’s side and the kid may have it.
Looming questions
After completing the movie, the audience was left with questions, and one user asked why Dixon’s mother was there in the cage. Was it Gramps who put her there, or did Dixon do it? Was Gramps a psycho?
I think Dixon’s mom was kidnapped by the kid’s grandfather, and Dixon was born while she was kidnapped. The grandfather is the biggest villain of the movie, and because of that, the movie has an amazing vibe.
Some fans pointed out that Grandfather and the neighbor were in an affair, and his wife killed herself.
He believed that Dixon put his mom there, and GPA did not want anyone in the barn where she passed away, making it the best hiding place. He even told the kid that this was the place where he would end, indicating that it was the spot for Dixon’s dead victims.
The movie has an average rating on Metacritic, 55 out of 100, which is a clear indication of mixed to average reviews. The Globe and Mail’s Brad Wheeler gave the film 3 out of 4 stars.
He indicated that the writing was average and laborious. All in all, it is a good, decent movie; do not go in with big expectations. You can check the movie on Amazon Prime Videos.
