The horror genre is characterised as one that is always looking towards the outer landscape of its time to locate societal ills for story ideas, ones it can embed and represent through its exaggerated genre codes of monsters, unsafe situations, and the bending of reality, as a reflection of the terrors of our world. “Social horror” utilises the overall genre’s conventions of imagery and tonal composition to expose oppressions, injustices and anxieties corrupting our societal blueprint, evident in examples such as George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, James DeManco’s The Purge series, Jordan Peele’s filmography and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance.

The Cure, by director Nancy Leopardi, is another contribution to the ongoing realm of social horror or thriller, working from a script penned by writers James Greer and Jonathon Berstein, telling the chilling story of Ally Braun (Samantha Crochan), a 16-year-old adopted girl with a mysterious illness who learns there may be more than meets the eye with her condition.

“The film is made in the tradition of classic horror and sci-fi films that are inspired by terrifying socio-political realities and advances in bio-technology,” the director shared in a statement. “Like Ex-Machina, A.I., and Videodrome, I believe we are on the cusp of a revolution in science, and the big question is – who will benefit?” First and foremost, The Cure wastes no time throwing us into an intriguing set-up, with the film essentially performing and establishing Ally’s world: luxury and mass-materialism masking physical inhibitions, a fractured emotional state and a repetitive cycle of hospital appointments and taxing medical treatment.

As aligned with the film’s status as a social horror/thriller, the insights we are given into Ally’s life, what she longs for and how her parents disapprove due to her illness, make for some interesting conversation prompts. Dialogue about chronic illnesses and the value of life pepper in and out of our social landscape, as do healthcare costs and the moral codes (or lack of) when considering how American health insurance feeds into exploitative and caste system realms. This is a thematic concept that The Cure dances along; Ally’s parents (David Dastmalchian and Ashley Greene) are incredibly wealthy and can afford the most expert opinions and treatments at the drop of a hat, as well as utilising their capital and intelligence to search for a cure for all who suffer from Ally’s condition.

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Looking back to Leopardi’s previous statement on her vision for the film, it seems as though a decent attempt was made. The film strives to explore American healthcare in a horror landscape; however, you would infer any narrative making such a choice would focus on a family who cannot afford the best, or any, treatment for a chronic illness, done so using exaggerated, fictionalised concepts stitched to realistic, grounded sequences of financial struggle and emotional breakdowns. Instead, we are invited to explore how a family with optimal power and opportunities buckle under the hardship of a chronically ill loved one. It’s different, unexpected and makes great use of the imagery and terminology surrounding living life in and out of the hospital.

It’s upsetting to see how isolated Ally is, physically and emotionally, cut out from the outside world and its opportunities in a sterilised, futuristic setting of a privately placed mansion where she has luxury after luxury at her fingertips, except what she truly wants: companionship and freedom. Nonetheless, The Cure can easily fit into the archetype of ‘concept only’, coming to audiences with a captivating idea with all necessary tools in terms of visuals and dialogue, yet the final product just staggers a little behind.

Almost as though it trips under the pressure of how relevant its chosen social critique is, as well as the various routes it can take, the film seems to splinter into various possible outcomes for where the true horror lies. You could propose that this maintains audience interest and amplifies anticipation. However, it comes across as frustrating, and the film doesn’t know what it wants to do thoroughly once its intriguing social concept has been established, or there is a minor identity crisis. Essentially, it becomes difficult to make out exactly what type of horror this is: outlandish sci-fi hidden within the grounded elements of healthcare? Supernatural? Slasher?

As the narrative allegedly progresses, the film tosses out its attempted climax with all the already seen cliches, such as villains being granted just the right amount of air time to explain their scheme in heavy-handed lines. Solid enough performances, especially Dastmalchian, keep the film afloat for as long as they can, working hard to maintain the commentary on healthcare and future potential exploitation. However, The Cure slips up in a strong hold outside of its concept.

★★★

Released on Digital HD, DVD in the UK on April 13th / David Dastmalchian, Ashley Greene, Samantha Cochran, Sydney Taylor, Tyler Lawrence Grey, Alex Veadov / Dir: Nancy Leopardi / Signature Entertainment / 15

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