‘Blackout’ Sinks Its Teeth Into Deeper Themes
In a small town in rural America, tensions run high after a slew of strange and gruesome murders. Meanwhile, Charley (Alex Hurt), a tortured artist whose drinking destroyed his relationship with his former partner Sharon (Addison Timlin), keeps waking up in odd places, remembering only snippets of the previous night. As the body count grows, corrupt businessman Hammond (Marshall Bell) attempts to pin the blame on his former employee Miguel (Rigo Garay), with whom he has a bitter dispute. But Charley doesn’t buy it. He’s been keeping track of his blackouts. All have coincided with the murders—and the full moon. He comes to the natural conclusion that his alcoholism and strained relationships are the least hairy of his problems…and that he may, in fact, be the real killer.
Blackout is Larry Fessenden‘s latest film in his series of contemporary reimaginings of classic Universal Monsters. Preceded by his 1997 vampire film Habit and his 2019 take on Frankenstein Depraved, Blackout is an exploration of the Wolf Man through the themes of addiction, self-reflection, and mob mentality.
Blackout opens on a comfortably familiar note: the mid-coitus murder of a pair of lovers. From there, the story unfurls slowly and methodically, with pacing that allows the viewer to develop empathy for the characters before the action ramps back up. Charley finds evidence of Hammond’s shady business practices among his late father’s belongings. He has a few tense exchanges with Sharon. Miguel tells him that he witnessed the latest murder and saw that a “wolf man” was responsible. Hammond gains support in his scapegoating campaign against Miguel.
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The lycanthrope-centric sequences aren’t quite the primary focus of the film, but they’re still well-executed and delightfully gory. We even get a trippy transformation scene that starts in a car and ends in a roadside ditch. The monster design by special makeup effects artists Jarod Balog and Brian Spears is reflective of the film’s Wolf Man roots. Charley’s form during the full moon is less wolf creature and more feral, hirsute man with long, sharp teeth and a perpetual snarl. But it’s still identifiably Charley underneath it all.
Alex Hurt plays Charley with quiet determination wrapped in dry humor. He’s a character you can feel sympathy for while also recognizing that he’s deeply flawed and has put self-improvement on the back burner for the time being. Hurt shares the screen with a strong ensemble cast that includes Barbara Crampton, Gaby Leynor (who also serves as co-producer), Joseph Castillo-Midyet, Ella Rae Peck, John Speredakos, Kevin Corrigan, and others. Each cast member delivers a performance with naturalistic ease and the perfect combination of vulnerability and grit.
At its core, Blackout is a moody monster movie where the simmering tension of changing relationships, introspection, and justice is punctuated by grisly attack sequences and expertly crafted gore.
Summary
Blackout is a moody monster movie where the simmering tension of changing relationships, introspection, and justice, punctuated by grisly attack sequences and expertly crafted gore.
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