Writer: Jeremy Slater (Screenplay)
Starring: Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo, Jennette McCurdy, Da’Vone McDonald, Nathan Parsons, Janet Song, Gary J Tunnucliffe
Plot: A psychological thriller about a man who bumps into an old crush and subsequently becomes obsessed with her, leading him to hold her captive underneath the animal shelter where he works. But what will the victim have in store for her captor?
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Horror Film with a Twist
Story: Pet starts as we meet social awkward animal control warden Seth (Monaghan), he works at the local animal shelter where he connects with the animals more than the people. When Seth sees an old crush Holly (Solo) on the bus he enters her life in a harmless at first stalker way, turning up at her work, her ex-boyfriends bar before her home.
After constantly getting rejected and treated like a freak Seth decides to take things to a new level, by building a cage under the animal shelter. Seth abducts Holly locking her in the cage where no one can hear her, making her his own pet, so he can have the relationship he believes they have in his head as things take a twist along the way.
Thoughts on Pet
Characters/Performance – Seth is the social awkward animal control warden who has never been any good with women but when he meets old school crush Holly, he decides to take her and try and save her so they can be together. Holly is the quiet waitress that Seth has a crush on, she recently broke up with her boyfriend but once she is captured we see a darker side to her character which helps take the film in a new direction. Claire is the best friend of Holly that helps her through decisions even when she is trapped in the cage.
Performance wise, Dominic Monaghan is good in this leading role where it becomes clear he is following Elijah Wood’s decision making by going into horror, even if the accent is slightly off at times. Ksenia Solo is good through the film as the potential victim but does a good job in the twist on the story.
Story – The story follows what seems to be an awkward young man who abducts a victim to force her to fall in love with him, but the story does take a massive twist that makes it a psychological thriller as the two try to gain control of the situation and we are left wondering just how far this will go.
Horror – The horror element is clear, girl get taken locked in cage by man, but it takes a turn as we learn more about the characters involved which shows how far people will go for love.
Settings – The cage is under an animal shelter which does make for a brilliant setting because no one could hear her scream but the way the story goes leaves us wondering about the location needing to be that important.
Special Effects – The effects are good when needed but are not overly important to the story.
Scene of the Movie – The moment one of the other employees discovers the cage and Holly.
I always get annoyed by one thing in a movie, this is that moment – I would say the police are incredible naïve here, they are watching cameras and never search every single possible room in the shelter when looking for the missing employee, this seems like a must do if they don’t believe they ever left.
Final Thoughts – This is a good horror that gives us a good surprise with the twist, the lead acting is strong throughout even if the supporting cast don’t get enough screen time, it is one to watch and be left shocked by.
Overall: Twist filled horror gem.
Rating