Fresh (2022)
The worst date turned into a delightfully gory horror film
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It is not until the salad and the fish have been served and consumed that Lauryn Kahn's script presents us with the opening credits and the light meal of crudités turns into a red-blood meat fest of a horror main course. Spending a quarter of the film's runtime on a typical rom-com with this couple makes the shoe drop hit harder, especially since Edgar-Jones and Stan have palpable chemistry together, and make it really easy to root for them. Edgar-Jones does a terrific job playing into the naive hopefulness, then the utter shock and horror of Noa, but like most films about psychopaths or abductions like Misery or American Psycho, Fresh belongs to the villain. Thankfully, Stan is more than up to the task, showing a side of him Marvel movies have deprived us of for years but is just starting to come off, between this and in Pam & Tommy: a dazzling, energetic psychopath who dances around the kitchen while oozing all kinds of perverse, charming energy. Far from Christian Bale's cold Patrick Bateman, Steve is approachable and chivalrous, equal parts knight in shining armor and absolute monster. Every new scene with him is an extra course to an already full meal.
By the time the end badge ends, you may find yourself ordering a second
To help intensify the flavors of the big, fat, juicy steak that is Stan's performance and the second act of the film, Fresh brings out its secret sauce: Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography. Having already shown us the horrors of vacationing to Scandinavia in Midsommar, he turns his eyes toward giving Fresh an unsettling yet lush style that often offers extreme close-ups of Steve's handiwork like it was Eli Roth's Hostel without so much gore. The result is about the cleanest, grossest horror movie of the year so far, one with repulsive moments, as well as clips of Sebastian Stan singing '80s synth-pop songs.
To help intensify the flavors of the big, fat, juicy steak that is Stan's performance and the second act of the film, Fresh brings out its secret sauce: Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography. Having already shown us the horrors of vacationing to Scandinavia in Midsommar, he turns his eyes toward giving Fresh an unsettling yet lush style that often offers extreme close-ups of Steve's handiwork like it was Eli Roth's Hostel without so much gore. The result is about the cleanest, grossest horror movie of the year so far, one with repulsive moments, as well as clips of Sebastian Stan singing '80s synth-pop songs.
Sadly, Fresh does not reach 3-Michelin-star levels of excellence. For one, while it meticulously sets up a vast world with many players and intricate rules, it also leaves most of it at surface level without explaining why it matters or how it plays into the story. Then there's the treatment of Noa's best friend, Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbs), who is sadly relegated to the tired trope of token Black sidekick whose only job is to serve Noa's story. It is a stale bite in the middle of an otherwise stellar course.
By the time Fresh reaches its climax, it delivers a rich and sweet dessert that brings both deliciously violent catharsis, and makes the film's allegory come full circle. Fresh may not break the mold in terms of horror satires, but it introduces one of the best horror villains in a while, as well as a full-course meal in Edgar-Jones and Stan's delicious chemistry. By the time the end credits roll, you may find yourself asking for seconds.
Conclusion
Fresh delivers a full-course meal with dazzling cinematography, disturbing imagery, and one of the best horror performances of the past few years. Sebastian Stan joins the pantheon of horror psychopaths as this delightfully gory movie explores the world of modern dating.
Fresh delivers a full-course meal with dazzling cinematography, disturbing imagery, and one of the best horror performances of the past few years. Sebastian Stan joins the pantheon of horror psychopaths as this delightfully gory movie explores the world of modern dating.
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