Joey Magidson
Any horror film that potentially announces the arrival of a new filmmaker in the genre immediately has my attention. With Stopmotion, we’re introduced to Robert Morgan, who is toying with the form in some very interesting ways. Now, some elements of the movie are fairly standard if you’re not new to fright flicks, but Morgan is introducing stop-motion animation to the genre in a way we haven’t quite seen before. That alone is worthy of a recommendation. The fact that this film, while flawed, is gnarly and weird is only a bit of a bonus.
Stopmotion has a look and feel to it that’s very unique. The story itself is fairly similar to other types of scary movies, but between the stop-motion element and how it’s very much about art and the artist, there’s something new here. Even if the pacing is a little off and the tension initially feels a little too heightened, the talent on display is undeniable.
Ella Blake (Aisling Franciosi) is a stop-motion animator, working under her overbearing and successful stop-motion filmmaker mother Suzanne Blake (Stella Gonet). Arthritis has reduced the highly regarded animator to ordering her daughter around, both during working hours and off the clock. Ella has talent, but Suzanne pushes that aside for her own vision, implanting doubt and a lack of self-worth. Suzanne is working on a final movie, centered on a cyclops, but when a stroke lands her in the hospital, Ella is expected to finish it, doing exactly as she’s been instructed. Instead, when she moves into a new apartment, she’s looking for a spark. She’s about to get much more than she bargained for.
When Ella meets a little girl neighbor (Caoilinn Springall), the kid is curious about what she does. Once it gets explained, she almost immediately constructs the idea for “The Ash Man,” which is the first sign that something is off. Not only is the girl a bit strange, the more Ella works with her ideas, the more terrifying visions begin to plague her. Is it all in her head? Or, is her new creations about to wreak havoc?
Aisling Franciosi does a strong job at falling apart over the course of the film. She always seems on edge, even before the terror begins, so watching her go over the edge is something. Franciosi also just has a presence to her, so she’s a very watchable actress. Stella Gonet is suitably intense, while Caoilinn Springall is just the right amount of off, as it were, for a child actor. Supporting players here include James Swanton, Therica Wilson-Read, Tom York, and more.
Filmmaker Robert Morgan certainly makes an impression here. Directing a script he co-wrote with Robin King, he makes the stop-motion elements grisly in all the right ways. The more generic horror elements from King and Morgan are effective, as is the gore, but they’re not quite as creative and new. Especially if Morgan is going to keep using the animation/live-action hybrid avenue to his work, there’s plenty to be excited about from this director.
Stopmotion ultimately probably worked less on me than it has for most, but I so appreciate this crack at something new, the good easily outweighs the bad. Robert Morgan is weird, has a different approach to horror, and I for one am eager to see what he does next.
SCORE: ★★★
Wholeheartedly agree with this review. I honestly thought it would have been a bit more interesting if the horror aspects were focused on the stop motion itself or even paralleling her strained relationship with her mother. Her mother had used Ella for years it seemed to be her hands in making stop motion features and I think an interesting twist could have been from Ella using her mothers hands to make a stop motion film while she was in the hospital, which she did and could have been explored more. It was a fine film, but as you said it worked less for some.
Glad you’re in agreement!