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In the 1st trailer for The Front Room, first-time directors The Eggers Brothers prove what I’ve suspected for a long time. The most terrifying thing on Earth is a mother-in-law.
A young married couple (Brandy Norwood & Andrew Burnap) decide to take in their elderly mother-in-law, in order to fulfill her late husband’s will and inherit enough money to pay off their house.
The Front Room (2024) – source: [A24]But, things slowly take a turn for the sinister as the mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter) asserts her dominance over the household, divulges a hidden past of racism and religious fanaticism, and takes a keen interest in her African-American daughter-in-law’s unborn child. And as her influence grows, her evil intentions threaten to permanently destroy the young couple’s lives.
Star Kathryn Hunter has long been a staple of New York theatre, and has found a second life as an esteemed character actress. With The Front Room, she looks to add another award-winning performance to her resume, unleashing a pulpy tornado of insanity that wouldn’t be out of place in a 1960s cult classic. Co-star Brandy Norwood plays the perfect foil of an ordinary young woman slowly driven to madness, and the trailer spectacularly elevates her character beyond a typical scream queen by giving her substantially more agency than most horror movie lead characters.
As the cousins of action-horror master Robert Eggers, first-time directors The Eggers Brothers prove that conjuring up horrifically surreal imagery runs in the family. Blending religious imagery with B-movie dialogue, the brothers may have created a tonal blend resulting in a raucous fun time at the theatre. While delving into racial overtones can be risky, sticking the landing could establish the bros as the next big auteurs in indie horror. And I, for one, am optimistic off the 1st trailer.
The Front Room will release theatrically in the US on September 6, 2024. The movie stars Brandy Norwood and Kathryn Hunter, and is directed by Max & Sam Eggers.
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