Jennifer Reeder's coming-of-age, "feminist horror-noir" plays with 1980s genre conventions, along with dabbling in gothic and body horror tropes. Starring Kiah McKirnan (Mare of Easttown), Melanie Liburd (Bad Boys 4), Christopher Lowell (Promising Young Woman) and Alicia Silverstone (Clueless). Silverstone drew inspiration for her character from The Hunger, more on that below. The film will stream on Shudder and open in select theaters on September 1st. Let's have a look at the official synopsis, and in case you missed the trailer, you can watch that as well.
Jonny Baptiste is a reckless teen sent to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie. On her 18th birthday, she experiences a radical metamorphosis: a family spell that redefines her called Forevering. When several teen girls go missing at her new school, a mythically feral Jonny goes after the Perpetrator.
Reeder set out with the intention to make a movie about a wild and out-of-control teen, "It is often the case that young women with any kind of agency in their life are referred to as 'wild' or 'out of control.' These terms are meant to disparage or at least dismiss that young woman’s path. I wanted to make a proper genre film about a teen girl who actually becomes wild and out of control." We'd say she's definitely succeeded in a sort of "you want wild and out of control? We'll give you wild and out of control" middle finger type of way.
Reeder calls her latest feature a "celebration of the girl gone wild. This story is meant to acknowledge and amplify autonomy and agency among young women, and exists as an homage to lineage and what women inherit from each other over multiple generations." With a focus on society's fixations on youth and beauty, "I wanted to make a film about this obsession with young bodies, and how society is so eager to consume and destroy them — but the women of Perpetrator are survivors… Warriors…They refuse to become missing girls."
Alicia Silverstone is a name you don't see pop up in the horror genre too often, and she's an exciting addition to the cast. Silverstone first came to the project thanks to a letter written by Reede, describing Hildie, the character Silverstone would eventually sign on to play. "She talked about The Hunger. Her letter was so artistic and vulnerable and exciting and passionate, and I just wanted to play with that person. Then, I watched The Hunger, and Catherine Deneuve is just out of this world. I'm not at all trying to be Catherine Deneuve (because that would be a great, great mistake), but I am inspired by her sophistication and her control, but I'm allowing Hildie to have tender moments… And so, I don't know who Hildie is. We’ll see. She is mysterious because she's different all the time, and she can be whatever she wants to be. It's all so poetic."
Alicia Silverstone in a Jennifer Reeder horror movie, drawing inspiration from Catherine Deneuve in The Hunger. Could we add anything more exciting to this? We have an exclusive sneak peek from the movie that will take you to some unexpected places. The masked intruder stalks the dark bedroom, and then... well, you'll see.
The masked intruder takes a dive in what starts as a seemingly straightforward scene that turns surreal and ominously gorgeous rather quickly, which is a pretty perfect description of the movie's aesthetic. Reeder plunges us into strange and gorgeous set pieces, as we accept a new reality. Perpetrator is streaming on Shudder and in select theaters September 1. You can find more Perpetrator in FANGORIA Volume 2 #20.
