Horror is a big, spooky home with open doors through which any other genre may pass. It pairs as well with thrills as it does with comedy, and that grand ability to merge story type and tone has been especially fruitful over the years when it comes to the [REDACTED] subgenre. We still don’t get enough [REDACTED] movies, but while the bulk of them are aiming for pure horror thrills, several have found life as genre hybrids.
There are [REDACTED] comedies, [REDACTED] legal thrillers, [REDACTED] sci-fi romps, and there are even [REDACTED] movies by way of an Agatha Christie whodunnit. Jordan Downey’s second feature, The Cycle – fourth if you count his turkeys – is the latest stab at intertwining disparate genre threads into something fresh, and it succeeds by delivering an engrossing forensic procedural that evolves into a hugely satisfying creature feature.
You probably noticed some self-imposed redactions above, and they might confuse you (and annoy my editors). The Cycle is a film that builds its emotionally engaging and gory tale like a 3-D printer recreating a human skull one layer at a time. Each pass adds a new coat of detail and intent that slowly brings the whole thing into focus. Some consider one very specific detail of this film to be a spoiler if revealed in advance, so I’m respecting that while also acknowledging two things. Horror fans and generally astute viewers will be well ahead of that reveal, and even knowing the detail won’t put a damper on just how gratifying and enjoyable the movie is as Downey and co-writer Kevin Stewart have injected their tale with more than a few fresh ideas of their own.
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Dr. Meg Garland (Deborah Ann Woll) is a forensic scientist who consults for law enforcement when expertise on death is required. She’s analytical and unshakable, but she’s unsettled when she receives a call for help from the police department of a small town on the Oregon coast. They have two bodies, both torn apart and partially eaten, and a third corpse that’s seemingly unconnected, preserved, and intact. It’s also a match for Meg’s father who went missing more than thirty years prior.
That simple setup kicks off The Cycle with suspense and atmosphere to spare, and it only grows more engaging from there. Who’s behind the killings? Where has Meg’s father been for the past 34 years? How is it all connected? The film tackles these questions and more with a smart, analytical eye as Meg digs into the flesh and bones of it all en route to truths that rattle both her scientific mind and her reluctantly fragile heart.
The Cycle is a horror-dipped procedural that reminds of films like David Fincher’s Seven, David Prior’s The Empty Man, and Sean Penn’s The Pledge in the way it doles out grim findings and blows to the solar plexus before plunging headfirst into the immense darkness to come. Stewart, who doubles as cinematographer, aids in that atmosphere by taking full advantage of the Oregon landscape and overcast skies. The Pacific Northwest is inherently ideal for the kind of constant chill running through the film, and the sensation that wet things never dry plays into the uncomfortable feeling that things might never be warm and comfortable again.
We follow our protagonists – Meg teams up with a pair of local cops, Chief Ian Marks (Will Hochman) and his father, Lt. Marks (Jeffrey Donovan), and the small town mortician (Jeb Berrier) – as they dig into the evidence, knock on doors, and try to resolve various clues. It’s a credit to the script as to how methodical and detailed their investigation gets, and it infuses the slow burn pacing of the film’s first hour with technical gristle to gnaw on while waiting for the next body to drop.
The payoff for that dialogue-heavy detective work comes in a third act that explodes with practical effects-fueled thrills and chills. I damn near levitated out of my chair as it kicked off with some truly entertaining work from Patrick Magee and his effects team. From gore to some very cool creature effects, horror fans eat well as our heroes come face to face with a memorable monster on a bloody rampage. Additional credit goes to Trevor Newlin as the man in the monster suit for adding to its already impressive and thrilling physical presence.
All of that’s already enough to make The Cycle a standout horror film in a year heavy with genre gems, but there’s also an emotional undercurrent that lands with surprising power. The connection between parent and child can sometimes feel like a rope of varying length tying the two together, for both better and worse, meaning out of sight rarely equals out of mind. Here, the choices of fathers are felt by their children even decades later as these now-grown adults hold tight to their anger, love, and memories.
“Some things get heavier the longer we carry them,” says Marks as that weight comes clear for everyone involved. The relationship between Ian and his dad (and grandfather), another cop’s recollection of a father lost to fear and ignorance, a young man’s dedication to easing his dad’s suffering, the mysterious absence of Meg’s father – they’re all effective and affecting nods towards a relationship that exists whether it’s wanted or not.
The performances are strong throughout with Woll showing she’s more than comfortable and capable in a leading role. Still, it’s David Myers Gregory as Meg’s father who reaches into your chest and takes firm hold through the recordings he left behind. We watch video that breaks our heart, we hear audio that chills our bones – including a recording played over the end credits that offers an especially interesting reveal – and the horror of it all moves from a cold, monstrous otherness to find a home in the warmth of love, longing, and family.
At nearly two hours, The Cycle seems destined to lose some people who’ll accuse it of spinning its wheels for the first two acts. It’s a price that Downey seems willing to pay, though, as his dedication to delivering a film awash in forensic detail and increasing dread pays off in spectacular fashion. Come for the moody, atmospheric procedural thriller, stay for the year’s best creature feature, and then join me in celebrating the long overdue arrival of another great [REDACTED] movie. [4/5]
