The Shed (2019)

Streaming Services: Shudder

Movie Name/Year: The Shed (2019)

Genre: Drama, Horror

Length: 98 minutes

Rating: NR

Production/Distribution: A Bigger Boat, Sideshow Pictures, Film & TV House, RLJE Films, Defiant Screen Entertainment, Films4You, Front Row Filmed Entertainment, Kino Swiat, Open Sesame Company, Volga

Director: Frank Sabatella

Writer: Frank Sabatella, Jason Rice

Actors: Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, Sofia Happonen, Frank Whaley, Timothy Bottoms, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Chris Petrovski, Francisco Burgos, Uly Schlesinger, Mu-Shaka Benson, Drew Moore, Caroline Duncan, Sal Rendino

Blurb from IMDb: A hunter gets bitten by a vampire and runs into a shed to avoid sunlight. Stan, a 17 y.o. on probation, and his supervisor grandpa live next to it. Stan's bullied high school buddy can use a monster.

Selina’s Point of View:

Yes. This is what I want in a vampire film.

I’m not the biggest fan of the romantic teen vampire. I like my vamps to be creepy. I want them to be otherworldly, psychopathic murderers. That’s just how I take my blood-sucking undead. I especially prefer when project creators stick to the ‘death by sunlight’ stereotype. I feel like that, and drinking blood, is what makes the vampire genre. Most everything else is negotiable.

One bit of the vampire personification I didn’t like, was how more were created. I just don’t like when they’re created quickly and by a single bite. That screams ‘zombie’ to me. I prefer a more in-depth siring process. Vampire are a more complex creature, so their creation should match that.

I’m just digressing all over the place. Let’s get to the movie.

I was almost turned off to the film in the first few minutes. It seemed campier than the trailers had suggested it would be. As it turned out, it was just a strange introduction. After that scene, the entire flick picked up and felt a lot easier to get into. 

Looking back, I do understand the need for what was shown – but starting on it was a little rough.

I’ll admit there were some predictable jump scares and a few overdone tropes utilized, but for the most part, it was a much more original story than I thought it would be. That’s saying something, because I’ve really wanted to see this one, ever since I saw the trailer. My expectations were already high.

If anything, I’d say there were moments that flashed me back to Fright Night (2011). Not in content, but through the feel of it.

Although The Shed did follow a bit of a recipe, it still managed to feel fresh. Everything was just a little bit tweaked, and that made it feel new.

I enjoyed just about everything involved in this film – straight down to the soundtrack. If you want to turn off your brain for a while and just watch something easy and interesting, and you’re a horror fan, this is definitely a good pick.

Cat’s Point of View:

Was The Shed the best horror movie I’ve seen this year? Probably not. Was it worth my time, in general? Sure.

I think every kid who’s got it rough, whether through home life, bullies, or the occasional combo of both, wishes that they could have their own personal monster to take out all the bad elements. The Shed brings us a bit of a morality tale about a teen that has the opportunity for that very thing dropped into his lap…or, well, crawled into his shed.

Here’s the thing. I didn’t find it easy to lose myself in this one. I’m not sure if it was just because I was tired after the stress of the storm, or if it was the movie, itself. Because of that, I’m really trying to be as positive as possible and not rip into it too harshly.

I did connect in some small way, at least, with the protagonist. I felt bad for his circumstances, wanted to throttle his best friend, got irked at his bullies, and rooted for his love-life. I’m not really sure where things started falling apart for me.

The titular shed, on its own, was fine. Overall, the effects employed were effective. I’m glad that the majority were practical effects. Aside from a few minor plot holes and a couple of characters that just felt a little phoned-in, the story was generally solid as well.

If you’ve already got a subscription to Shudder, I wouldn’t steer anyone away from this movie. I wouldn’t get the subscription for the sole purpose of watching it, however. Albeit, there’s a gigantic selection of amazing horror films and shows on the service so if this flick bores you, there’s always something else that might work better!

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 65%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 40%

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – 2.3/10

IMDB Score – 4.4/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

Trust the Dice Parental Advisory Rating: PG-13

Movie Trailer: