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by Thomas M. Sipos,
managing editor [July 23, 2021]
[HollywoodInvestigator.com]
This is one weird horror film. Meg (Maple Suttles) is a little girl
who picks up a teddy bear at a garage sale. Demonic stuffed animals
and dolls are a horror staple, but Meg's teddy isn't possessed.
Instead, this teddy is host to a nest of bizarre insects. Every now
and then, an insect emerges from teddy's belly, enters some hapless
person's mouth, and takes control of that person's mind.
Don't feel sorry for Meg. She's a nasty piece of work. That might
partially be because she's possessed early on, but also because she
harbors much anger and resentment at her mother Beth (Sarah Navratil).
Beth is a former junkie who's trying to rekindle her relationship with
Meg and hubby Jack (Kevin Patrick Murphy). Difficult for Beth to do,
considering the people about her are being possessed by insects.
The Nest is burdened with much
domestic drama, making for a slow pace. Long periods of family
bickering, and recriminations, and trouble at school abound, all too
rarely punctuated by moments of horror. Some will call it a "slow
burn." That can be good or bad, depending on how engaging the
characters are, and how interesting their non-horror activities. In
this case, not very.
All the domestic drama makes for a thematically messy film. Much can
be inferred, but no clear message emerges. Meg suffers separation
anxiety because Beth wants to return to work. Meg feels that Beth is
abandoning her yet again, as when Beth was a junkie. Beth feels guilty
about her career aspirations. Is Meg justified in her separation
anxiety? Is finding work analogous to being a junkie? Is Jack too
controlling? Did he drive Beth to drugs? Or is he supportive, a victim
of Beth? He later slaps Meg and Beth. Which came first, the domestic
violence or the drugs? Meg attacks a child and a school counselor. Is
there a "cycle of family violence" theme lurking here? Both
Jack and Meg are possessed by insects during their acts of violence.
Are the insects the cause (absolving Jack and Meg of guilt) or just a
metaphor?
Themes abound, but the film's ending seems unrelated to any of it.
The Nest offers an effective
dramatic closure, but no thematic closure. Themes raised are simply
dropped.
The Nest's invading insects
conceit is not an entirely original.
Shivers and
The Hidden series both had creatures invading peoples' mouths,
taking possession of their minds. And as in
Shivers (and
Invasion of the Body Snatchers), The
Nest's insects seem primarily interested in propagating
themselves, which means constantly seeking new human hosts. Especially
because (as in
The Hidden), these parasites cause their human host to quickly
decay and die.
Despite stretches of boredom, The Nest
has its moments. Little explanation is given for the insects, but
there are interesting hints (e.g., the possessed people at film's end
sewing up stuffed animals bellies, presumably with more insects). The
production values are slick. The cinematography creates a moody
atmosphere that supports the story's weirdness. Make-up and visual
effects are impressive. The gruesome insect "queen" at film's end is
memorable and jarring, though not entirely unexpected.
The cast is uniformly professional. Maple Suttles (director James
Suttles's daughter) is disquietingly creepy, insects having
transformed her into the quintessential bad seed. Navratil performs
well as a former junkie, on edge, high-strung, a bit paranoid, yet not
entirely unsympathetic. Murphy does a good job as a warmly supportive
family man, with hints of darker undercurrents.
Dee Wallace, the biggest name, does a fine job playing a family
friend. Although hers is a supporting role, it's more than a cameo,
which was nice. This is not some film where they hired a big name for
just one day's work. Wallace appears robust at 72, and should have
many more productive years ahead of her.
The Nest is a low-budget affair
with a small cast. Meg's school scenes are always in the counselor's
office or in empty hallways (the other children all conveniently in
class).
Overall, The Nest is a well made
horror film, marred only but its slow pacing.
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