POPCORN FRIGHTS: Old Man (2022)

Director Lucky McKee has made some horror movies that hit genre fans just right — May, All Cheerleaders Die — but haven’t exactly made him a household name. Which frankly sucks, because he keeps his good name with this astounding thriller, written by first-time scriptwriter Joel Veach.

Stephen Lang (Don’t Breathe) plays the Old Man, who lives alone in the woods except for a dog that isn’t there, while Marc Senter (The Lost) plays the young man who shows up at his cabin with no idea how he got there. The two men start a conversation yet at every turn, there’s a hint of violence just brewing under the surface.

The sheer joy of this movie is that Lang and Senter are onscreen alone for nearly the entire running time, outside of a flashback of a Bible salesman (Patch Darragh) that happened to show up at the old man’s door and visions of his long-gone wife Genie (Liana Wright-Mar). The rest is intricate camera work, assured direction and unleashing madness, almost unfolding like a loud quiet loud Pixies song.

I can’t wait for more people to see this so I can discuss it with them. Until then, there’s no way I’m spoiling anything. I want you to go in the same way I did; alone in the woods with no breadcrumbs to guide me. I somehow made it back, but I won’t soon forget this movie.

Old Man debuted on August 21 at Popcorn Frights and will be available October 14 in theaters and on digital from RLJE Films.