STING (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
Starring: Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Penelope Mitchell, Robyn Nevin, Noni Hazelhurst, Silvia Colloca, Danny Kim, Jermaine Fowler.
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Writer: Kiah Roache-Turner
Runtime: 92 min
Rated: R for violent content, bloody images and language
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

STING spins a web of thrilling terror when 12-year-old Charlotte's pet spider rapidly transforms into a giant flesh-eating monster, forcing the young girl to fight for her family's survival.

Review:

The Australian film "Sting" is a loving tribute to classic creature features and 1980s horror flicks. Written and directed by Kiah Roache-Turner ("Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead"), the film is a one-location thrill ride set in a New York Apartment Building where Charlotte (Alyla Browne), a precocious 12-year-old girl finds an itsy bitsy spider of alien origins and keeps it as her pet. Unfortunately, the tiny arachnid grows into a gigantic murderous beast that begins to feast on the building's residents.

The plot is simple and straightforward, with only a father-daughter relationship serving as the film's emotional core, or emotional complication, depending on how interesting you'll find the interactions between the rebellious kid and her step father (played by Ryan Corr from "Wolf Creek 2" and "House of the Dragon"). Despite the simplicity of its family drama, the characters' heartfelt evolution works better than expected. It's all very superficial, of course, but it adds just a touch of humanity to the nostalgic B-movie shlock-fest.

I was especially impressed by Browne's performance in this movie, a mix of charm, spunk and emotional vulnerability. Child characters are usually the weakest part of movies like this, but Browne feels fully in control of her acting abilities and steals the show, eventually becoming a grade-school Ripley when the movie starts heavily referencing "Aliens". She also starred in "Furiosa" as the younger version of the titular character, which was another fantastic role. In my review for that movie I remarked that the young actress has a bright future ahead of her, and her performance in "Sting" reinforces my opinion that she's an actress to keep an eye out for.

The movie is thoroughly old-school in all aspects of its production, from its story, claustrophobic setting (that reminded me a lot of "Critters 3"), and sprinkles of dark humor, to the practical effects and fun kills. Fans of the genre will notice all the familiar horror/sci-fi tropes, including my favorite: the convenient presence of human-sized vents required for the plot to function. While the effects are pretty good, the creature design is a bit disappointing. Despite being a creature from another world, it just looks like an ordinary spider from our planet, except it can grow bigger and move faster and deadlier than any known eight-legged species from Earth.

"Sting" isn't a movie that will leave a lasting impression, but it is an entertaining and satisfying throwback horror film, that does what it sets out to do well-enough and quickly enough. In short, a fun way to spend 90 minutes during the spooky season.

SCORE: 7/10