Zoë Kravitz's unflinching, darkly funny Blink Twice is the most affecting horror movie of the year

EntertainmentMoviesThriller MoviesBlink TwiceZoë Kravitz’s unflinching, darkly funny Blink Twice is the most affecting horror movie of the yearWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. EntertainmentMoviesThriller MoviesBlink TwiceZoë Kravitz’s unflinching, darkly funny Blink Twice is the most affecting horror movie of the yearWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Warner Bros.) “So, everybody’s dead,” Channing Tatum’s tech billionaire Slater King says with a grin in the trailer for Zoë Kravitz’s bold, brilliant directorial debut Blink Twice. While the promo – set to LCD Soundsystem’s upbeat ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ – keeps its cards close to its chest as to the how and why, with that three-word line, it makes it clear most of its characters aren’t going to make it to the end credits alive, and yet I was still gobsmacked as just how much of a horror movie it truly is. Billed as everything from a psychological thriller to a dark comedy, the film follows cocktail waitress and aspiring nail artist Frida (Naomi Ackie), who’s been itching to cross paths with King again, having shared a brief flirtation with him while working his annual gala the year before. In an attempt to get his attention, she and her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat, on top, giggle-inducing form) swap their uniforms for silky dresses and infiltrate the party this time round – which leads to them to spend the evening with King and his fancy friends, before he whisks them all away to his private island. Big Screen SpotlightShining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday Big Screen Spotlight Shining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday Shining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday The characters' joy is so infectious, you get swept up in it as a viewer. So much so, that the trip’s more unsettling aspects, like the non-English speaking housekeeper who seems to recognize Frida, and the island’s venomous snake problem, barely even register. When Jess suddenly disappears, Frida realizes she keeps losing huge chunks of time, and the film turns into a bloodsoaked nightmare, then, it completely knocks you for six. You mean to tell methat’swhat’s been going on?! Menacing Mike (Image credit: Warner Bros.) It seems a little glib to say, but Blink Twice sees Kravitz weaponize her real-life fiancé Tatum’s natural charm to devastating effect. The movie opens with Frida watching a video of King apologizing for his behavior, as he confirms he’s stepped down as CEO from his company KingTech – though what he did exactly is never divulged. Even so, that’s all we need to know to assume he’s probably Not a Good Dude, but much like Frida, we kind of forget about all that once he starts showering her with champagne, asking how she got the scar on her temple with caring curiosity, and making her laugh as they play kiss-chase on the lawn. It turns out, though, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. “I wanted Slater King to be somebody that the audience felt comfortable and safe with, whilst also ensuring it would make sense that Frida would want to drop everything and leave with him,” Kravitz recently toldZavvi. “If you’re going to leave with a stranger, you have to make that connection feel real, so the audience never questions why.” “[We] talked about lots of different versions of Slater,” Tatum said at the LA premiere (viaMSN). “The one thing that we both agreed upon is that we didn’t want to do the very stereotypical movie moment in a thriller where you reveal the bad guy.” Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox The last part seems crucial in achieving Kravitz’s vision here. King isn’t a supervillain per se, but he’s a man with immense wealth and power, and, well, what happens when all that goes to someone’s head and twists their morality into something sinister. Kravitz, who co-wrote the script with E.T. Feigenbaum, does similarly clever work with some of the supporting characters, too, like Geena Davis’s bumbling assistant Stacey and Levon Hawke’s crypto whizzkid Lucas, who seem to represent those who witness, or even facilitate, gross abuses of power, through generational and gender-specific lenses. Reality bites (Image credit: Warner Bros.) So why did this film – one that admittedly made me chuckle and want to hop on Booking.com at the earliest possible convenience – leave mesoshell-shocked? I’m a horror-loving gorehound who barely flinches at most things these days. But it’s because Kravitz injects so many small, toe-curlingly relatable moments in amongst the magical realism. We’re not dealing with demons, killer clowns, or sharks here, we’re faced with evils that are terrifyingly human. Even when I’ve seen a genre movie in the cinema late at night, I walk the 30 minutes from the train station home; I’m pretty certain there are no ghosts and ghoulies lurking around Maidstone. After Blink Twice? I got a cab. Big Screen Spotlight(Image credit: Laika)As Coraline’s re-release hits cinemas, Henry Selick and Teri Hatcher discuss why the Other Mother is still one of animation’s scariest villains 15 years on Big Screen Spotlight (Image credit: Laika)As Coraline’s re-release hits cinemas, Henry Selick and Teri Hatcher discuss why the Other Mother is still one of animation’s scariest villains 15 years on (Image credit: Laika) As Coraline’s re-release hits cinemas, Henry Selick and Teri Hatcher discuss why the Other Mother is still one of animation’s scariest villains 15 years on “I felt like there was a lot more that needed to be discussed, but there wasn’t really a place to say these things, and it didn’t feel safe to say them out loud,” Kravitz told theSan Francisco Chronicle, as she remembered starting to write the script back in 2017, as the #MeToo movement looked to be simmering down. “So I started writing because I wanted to express these feelings and thoughts and because I wanted to try and highlight the absurdity of what society asks or expects of women.” Blink Twice is in cinemas now. For more on what to watch, check out the rest of ourBig Screen Spotlightseries. 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review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”