Should Stay Out of the F**king Attic (2020) Stay on Your Streaming List?

Originally published May 2, 2021

Title: Stay Out of the F**king Attic

First Wide Release: March 11, 2021 (Digital/Streaming Platforms

Director: Jerren Lauder

Writer: Julie Auerbach, Jesse Federman, Jason Scott Goldberg, Jerren Lauder

Runtime: 83 Minutes

Starring: Ryan Francis, Morgan Alexandra, Bryce Fernelius

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

While on their latest job, a group of ex-cons running a moving company are asked to work overtime to prepare a house for its move the next day. Strapped for cash and eager to get out and never return to the creepy place, they oblige. The owner informs them that he will take care of the basement and attic, and that there is no need for them to concern themselves with working in either location. As they sort through the owner’s belongings in the rest of the house, they come across some concerning and mysterious things that escalate their curiosity into panic.

Stay Out of the F**king Attic is a low-quality production that still manages to provide some decent entertainment.

I have to be honest and admit that I am disappointed with how Stay Out of the F**king Attic turned out. Let’s start with some of the positives before diving headfirst into my issues. The premise has so much potential for a fun B-movie. It’s interesting and for an indie movie can be rather cost effective, given its single location setting. The special effects are pretty solid. Everything and everyone looks good, so the audience feels transported into the world rather than taken out of it. My favorite scenes, in particular, involve an eyeball gouging and some serious work with a scalpel. Lastly, it is incredibly fast paced with a nice campy tone. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and it gets to the point.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot going against it. Its script is a mess. The whole point of this move-in crew being in danger is that they have a strict deadline to meet of moving Vern, the creepy guy, out of his house by morning. Yet, they move at a snail’s pace to get this work done. Their actions do not match the intensity of the reason for why this movie is happening. Some things I can forgive, like the science behind some of the film’s antagonists being shaky at best or the convenience of information being presented to the characters, but I don’t have the energy to get into that. And, at the end of the day that’s not too important. The crux of this films issues lie in the characters motivations and how almost every action or big moment in this film is driven by unnecessarily poor character choices.

The characters, in general, leave a lot to be desired. They are introduced and developed casually and without any depth. We don’t know much about them aside from their baggage and a few quirks thrown into the script here or there. Monologues and exposition dumps seem to be the film’s primary avenue for dispensing information about the characters, and their situation. It gets old and, again, feels too convenient. It also doesn’t help that the acting is awful by pretty much everyone in the cast. There’s a severe issue with actors under emoting during serious or high stakes situations while overacting during calmer, more normal circumstances.

I guess my disappointment lies in the fact that with some tweaks, Stay Out of the F**king Attic would be a fantastically fun little film. There are some clever moments here and there, but they are overshadowed by things that take the fun away. Awkward handling of race relations in its finale will more than likely leave a weird taste in your mouth and the horror of the situation feels neutered by the film’s resolution.

I’m conflicted on this movie. Parts are genuinely entertaining, and it’s lean enough to be a nice, quick bit of low-brow, popcorn fun. On the other hand, the bad acting, stiff dialogue, and odd pacing issues prevent it from being what I would call a good film. With a better script and some stronger actors, Stay Out of the F**king Attic would be an unstoppable Naziploitation flick instead of the silly creature feature lite that it is in its current form. In the grand scheme of the year, it is simply forgettable. Stay out if you are looking for something more highbrow but go ahead inside if you are seeking something light and excessive.

Overall Score? 5/10