RKSS Invade a Knock-Off IKEA in Canadian Slasher Gem Wake Up (FANTASTIC)
Title: Wake Up
First Non-Festival Release: TBD
Director: François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Writer: Alberto Marini
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Starring: Turlough Convery, Jacqueline Moré, Tom Gould
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2023.
If you’ve reached a certain age, you might have already experienced the glory that is making a day trip out of visiting your local, within a few hours’ radius at least, IKEA. From the immaculately designed showrooms, the massive warehouse, and the delightful food court, it is hard not to love the place. Your opinion might change if you’re stuck in a slasher movie there.
Online activists Ethan (Benny O. Arthur), Grace (Alessia Yoko Fontana), Karim (Tom Gould), Yasmin (Jacqueline Moré), Tyler (Kyle Scudder), and Emily (Charlotte Stoiber) sneak into their local Home Idea store after planning a night of reckless mayhem to protest their mistreatment of animals and the environment. Security Guard Kevin (Turlough Convery) is seething after being forced into working the night shift and missing his annual wilderness survival retreat after his boss reprimanded him for going off on a customer. His brother Jack (Aidan O-Hare) tries to calm him down, but his efforts fail. When they discover the kids, they resolve to get them out as fast as possible to avoid getting fired until an accident spins Kevin into an uncontrollable frenzy, changing his plans.
Lean, mean, and outrageously fun, Wake Up is the next great slasher of the 2020s.
The concept of setting a slasher in an IKEA-like store is both a fun one and one that translates perfectly to screen. Awash in danger and interesting set pieces, Wake Up makes the most of its expansive warehouse set while still making its action intimate and isolating. All doors are sealed shut, the windows are bulletproof, and the security system is always watching, as long as the guards are that is. This specific take on supermarket terror is fresh, engaging, and exciting.
Fast-paced and ever-changing, Wake Up ensures that its prey never catches a break so that its audience doesn’t either. Any good slasher needs to have creative kills and excellent suspense, Wake Up gleefully checks both boxes. When perusing through the aisles of IKEA, it is hard not to think about all the odd items that they sell amongst the more mundane. With Wake Up, writer Alberto Marini conjures up some deliciously devious ways to off its cast of rebellious teenagers. One particularly breathless scene steals the show as Kevin’s prey flail about in the dark after Kevin springs a clever trap on them. To say any more would spoil the fun out of the reveal but trust that it is heart-pounding and beautiful all at once.
The characterization of its amateur activists and their adversaries may seem shallow at first, but it gives way to plenty of thought-provoking ideas. Gen Z faces off against Gen X in a battle of wits, strength, and determination resulting in true slasher excellence. Nowadays, most films tend to pit millennials versus baby boomers since they tend to butt heads the most. Since Gen Z is coming into their own, Wake Up flips the script by making the often-forgotten Gen X their adversaries. The recklessly optimistic and short-sighted youth battle against their cynical and overworked elders who lack the communication skills needed to reach peace.
Consumerism and the consequences of unmitigated corporate greed further exacerbate the conflict between the security guards and the teenagers. The activist teen’s intentions, while good, doesn’t do much to stop the problems they care about and also only serve to antagonize the underpaid, overworked, and disrespected employees at the store that would quite literally be tasked with cleaning up their mess. All of Kevin’s misplaced rage about being treated like a replaceable cog in the machine at work is taken out on a bunch of misguided teens who were at the wrong place at the wrong time to receive his wrath. No matter what happens, it’s clear that Home Idea will weather the storm and recover in a way that none of these characters can.
Breakneck action slasher mayhem with a sense of humor, Wake Up is an excellent example of simple horror done right. Without getting too convoluted or lost in uninteresting teen drama, Wake Up focuses on doing right by hardcore slasher fans. Clever kills, dynamic chase sequences, and a perfect sense of timing, Wake Up delivers on its concept in a memorable and fun way. Taking a trip to IKEA is an experience that is likely to spurn fond memories. Watching Wake Up will activate different feelings but it is still a trip worth taking.
Overall Score? 9/10
