The Shade – Movie Review (4/5)

THE SHADE is a new horror drama that can be watched in more ways than one. Either as a supernatural story or a psychological one. Or both. However you approach it, this is an intense and dark tale. Read our full The Shade movie review here!

THE SHADE (2023) is a horror movie with a runtime of just over two hours. Admittedly, I was ready for a movie that I would feel was far too long. However, I was proved wrong as this horror drama has exactly the runtime it needs.

When you watch this horror drama, you should be ready for a few jump scares along the way. At the same time, this isn’t a classic horror movie. Instead, it’s a horror story that might hit a little close to home for some viewers.

This is an award-winning independent horror movie and I can understand why!

Continue reading our The Shade horror movie review below. Find it in theaters on September 20, 2024.

Haunted by generational trauma

In The Shade, we follow 20-year-old Ryan Beckman (Chris Galust) as he tries to get ready for adulthood. When the story begins, we’re in the aftermath of him losing his father. He now suffers from frequent nightmares and panic attacks.

He lives with his mother Renee (Laura Benanti), who has to work a lot to make ends meet. This means Ryan is spending his days apprenticing at a local tattoo shop, going to school, working as a pizza delivery guy, and looking after his younger brother James (Sam Duncan).

He clearly loves his family and has a wonderful relationship with his little brother. However, he also struggles a lot with mental health. Just as his dad did.

Give in or fight back

Ryan is trying his best not to let that affect his little brother, as does their mom, but that becomes much harder when his older brother Jason (Dylan McTee) returns from college in the mid-semester.

Jason is a collegiate athlete haunted by a darkness that has made him go back home. The mysterious entity haunting Jason now starts stalking Ryan as well.

This forces him to confront the darkness that has haunted their family for generations. Most recently taking their father from them. This entire movie is an exploration of mental health and generational trauma.

And it’s one of the best, I’ve ever watched!

Watch The Shade in theaters

The Shade was directed by Tyler Chipman, who also wrote the screenplay. The story itself comes from both Tyler Chipman and David Purdy. It feels inspired in every sense of the word, which is surely why there’s a heavy realism to it.

As mentioned initially, I felt quite confident that a two-hour runtime would be too much. And, as admitted, I was very wrong because this story evolves in exactly the way (and pace) necessary for it to unfold ideally.

If you want to watch this as a “typical” horror movie, then you absolutely can. However, you can also allow for the deeper story about mental health, dysfunctional family dynamics, and generational trauma to take center stage.

Whichever way you watch it, you should make sure that you do. This is a very impressive feature film debut from Tyler Chipman (and David Purdy). Based on his own 2020 short film – produced by David Purdy.

THE SHADE is out in theaters on September 20, 2024.

Details

Director: Tyler Chipman
Writers: Tyler Chipman, David Purdy
Stars: Chris Galust, Laura Benanti, Dylan McTee, Sam Duncan, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Boatman