There’s No Need to Get Away (FANTASTIC) From this Fun Vacation Horror Comedy
Title: Get Away
First Non-Festival Release: December 6, 2024 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Steffen Haars
Writer: Nick Frost
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Starring: Nick Frost, Sebastian Croft, Aisling Bea, Maisie Ayres
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 2024.
Folk horror has long been celebrated within the genre community for its ability to deconstruct topics from a cultural standpoint, offering insight on heavy topics like xenophobia, religious influence, and generational trauma. Get Away seeks to subvert that.
The Smiths are dead set on vacationing on the island of Svalta. Svalta is home to a tradition that dates back hundreds of years where the island was quarantined due to a terrible illness. Long after the quarantine lifted for others, it was finally lifted in Svalta only for it to be revealed that many turned to murder and cannibalism to survive. Now, every ten years the islanders celebrate a holiday commemorating the tribulations, and unfortunately the Smith’s visit coincides with the tenth year.
Brash horror comedy with some nice subversions, Get Away is a rip-roaring good time.
From the beginning, Get Away sets the scene with larger-than-life characters and an interesting setup. The Smith family presents itself with familiar stock characters found in any vacation movie. The dorky dad (Nick Frost), Type-A mom (Aisling Bea), morbid son (Sebastian Croft), and sulky daughter (Maisie Ayres) comprise their ranks. From there, this crew interact with the overly serious locals who have every reason to not want their visitation during their private rituals. This conflict edges closer towards insanity, the more the Smiths unintentionally, or intentionally, provoke the islanders. The setup is familiar but don’t believe for a second that Get Away doesn’t have a few tricks up its sleeve. Demanding a rewatch, Get Away rewards viewers with surprisingly intricate world building and plenty of breadcrumbs to uncover the madness that erupts on Svalta.
Quick-witted dialogue gives way to sidesplitting laughs while revealing little secrets about the journey audiences are taking. Infusing the trappings of folk horror with the ignorance of foreign vacationers, Get Away pays homage to a variety of tropes that populate such films while twisting the setup to make it even more fun. Unwelcoming locals, baffling rituals, and clueless visitors comprise most of the film’s comedic beats until its deliciously gory horror finale. Then, Get Away leans more into its more rambunctious side, offering plenty of creative kills that pairs well with the quips and oddball characters.
While most of the comedy comes from the quirky characters reacting to the various hostilities of both offending parties, the true fun lies in the aftermath. When the action quiets down, Get Away allows its characters to breathe, plotting their next course of actions. Whether that’s taking an innocent jaunt to the beach or re-enacting the starvation of hundreds of innocent islanders, the comedy-laced story development never relents. There’s plenty to mine in Get Away that pays off beautifully for later sequences, pulling off longer form jokes with poise.
The Smiths make for an excellent stand in for the ignorance of tourists and the lack of self-awareness many people display when engaging with other cultures. Each Smith has their own special way of interacting with the locals that make them equally infuriating and hilarious. Determined to enjoy their vacation at all costs, the family insists on relaxing their way, despite being in a land unlike their own. The antagonization adds to the growing resentment of the islanders who clearly do not want them there. Svalta becomes a stand in for any destination that is inundated with disrespectful and aloof visitors who spare no thought to their impact on the locals, negative or otherwise. The social commentary isn’t exactly novel or subtle, but it makes the story more interesting. Of course, there’s more going on in Get Away, but perception matters in why this archetype exists.
Fans of riotous horror comedies and fish-out-of-water scenarios will find plenty to admire about this endearing Shudder acquisition. Its dry humor, clever writing, and interesting characters make Get Away a blast from beginning to end. It might border on the nonsensical at times, but there is enough meat in the story to keep even the difficult to impress viewers smiling. If you’re looking for a vacation horror Get Away, just wait until it hits theaters in December.
Overall Score? 7/10
