A PERFECT HOST (a.k.a. Adonis Complex) *** USA 2019 Dir: Chad Werner. 73 mins
An AirBnb Nightmare……….
Two young couples/ friends hire an AirBnb in a remote area away from it all at an idyllic lake house in the USA. But, their perfect getaway is far from idyllic. They meet Tad, the owner, a fitness freak who’s obsessed with body building, and he begins to show up all the time, getting in their way of their perfect break. Tad begins to take over their stay, crossing the line of playing host to the young couples.
The films main stars are Avery (Katelyn Marie) her friend Sam ( Jeff McQuitty) and Tad the fitness nut ( Brady Burleson Johnson).
This indie horror/thriller on the outside is a slow burn with many character pieces, but this film does build up to some very tense and scary scenes. The acting is really good from everyone, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Katelyn Marie and Brady Burleson Johnson start popping up in a lot more indie horror as they brought their A game here!
The funniest thing about the film is the body building obsessed Tad, who’s anything but a muscle bound health freak. I don’t know if this is meant to be ironic or not? But it doesn’t look like Tad is Mr Universe, and appears more of a slim hipster than a steroid pumping maniac. It does feel like the writer thought, I can’t get a guy who looks like Schwarzenegger, but I can’t be arsed to change the script now, we need to shoot this thing next week!
When I first read the synopsis of the movie I though, damn, this sounds killer! A muscle bound psychopath stalking couples, who he lures to his AirBnb! So in my head I pictured someone like Kane from WWE, okay, that would have worked and been very scary, but the actor Brady Burleson Johnson who plays Tad is outstanding, playing a complete nutcase. He’s more of a Norman Bates psychotic junky, but what we lose in muscle girth we gain a complete nut job, and still threatening. There are undertones of dark comedy throughout the film, and lots of issues about relationships and self discovery are covered here, it’s a film with a good few layers. I enjoyed the film and I’m glad I gave it a watch. The cinematography and editing on this film were outstanding.
This is a film about fitness enthusiast, modern relationships and a complete satirical look at society as a whole. It was great having a strong lead female character, and all these elements offer a welcome change to the standard indie film offering in 2020.
People who are expecting non-stop action and jump scares from the off won’t get it here, but stick with it and the third act is well worth the wait. It’s creepy, scary, high tension and a whole lot of fun.
Fans of horror/thrillers, like Single White Female will enjoy this one, definitely going to be a hit with the hipsters!….And remember no pain……. no gains!
Review by Tony Newton
