Can’t Take it Back (2017) - Shudder Spree

Streaming Services: Shudder
Movie Name/Year: Can’t Take it Back (2017)
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Length: 88 minutes
Rating: NR
Production/Distribution: Big Block Media Holdings, Screen Gems, Afterparty VFX
Director: Tim Shechmeister
Writer: Matt Shechmeister, Tim Shechmeister
Actors: Ana Coto, Noah Centineo, Ivanna Sakhno, Lexi Atkins, Jill Larson, Logan Paul, Meredith Foster, Keith Pillow, Mandy Gonzalez, Paul Urcioli, Brenna Bloom
 
Blurb from IMDb: Following a group of students who leave hateful comments on the page of a fellow pupil who recently committed suicide.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
My first thought? “Ew. Logan Paul’s in this movie.” I mean, he’s on the cover so, naturally, I expected him to be in the movie quite a bit. Instead he’s pretty much inconsequential.
 
The significance of him being involved in a film about the soul of a girl who killed herself seeking revenge, is not lost on me. Logan Paul (The Thinning, Where's the Money, Airplane Mode) is just the worst.
 
Moving on.
 

Can’t Take it Back was basic. It was a paranormal horror film. It followed all the tropes and painted by all the numbers. It was acceptable, but not something I see myself even remembering by tomorrow.
 

It just didn’t have anything to set itself apart from every other flick tackling the same subject and sub-genre.
 
Ana Coto (DisCONNECTED, Ouija, True Fiction) was decent in her part and I enjoyed seeing Noah Centineo (The Fosters, Charlie's Angels, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You) in a movie that wasn’t a teen romantic comedy – but even they didn’t elevate it. Hell, it had an ending that I rather enjoyed… but it needed something more.
 
Can’t Take it Back was meh. I won’t steer anyone away from it, but I also won’t be recommending it. There are much better paranormal, and revenge, flicks on Shudder.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
When I saw that we would be watching Can’t Take it Back during October, I was just as divided about it then as I am now. It bugs me. Some things you just can’t shake, though.
 
I’ll address the elephant in the room first. I can’t bring myself to forgive Logan Paul for his 2018 stunt in Japan. The world keeps turning and he was, technically, punished through loss of sponsorships for his distasteful antics. I, however, don’t feel that earned him redemption by any means. For that reason, I find myself going out of my way to avoid his work in an effort to not support him.
 
At the same time, the other actors and production crew working on films he just happens to be a part of are not responsible for him being a shit person. I was excited to see Lexi Atkins (Anatomy of Deception, The Boy Next Door, Some Kind of Hate) and Noah Centineo attached to this movie. I wanted to watch for their sake. We’ve reviewed and enjoyed other projects of theirs over the years, after all.
 
That being said, let’s talk about Can’t Take it Back.
 

I generally enjoyed my experience with the movie and was relieved to see that a certain person had a relatively small role. Atkins was great in her ‘mean girl’ role. Centineo did a great job with his part, as well. There was a fresh face at the forefront of this production. Ana Coto was a good fit leading the cast. I bought her story 100%.
 
There were a few spots here and there throughout the movie that were a bit more of a hard sell for me, but I was invested all the same. Nothing was wonky enough to lose my interest or make me roll my eyes.
 
The overall production value was really pretty good. The spectral effects were creepy, even if some of the jump-scares felt a smidge over-the-top. But hey, for a teen-centric horror, it wasn’t that bad.
 
I think Can’t Take it Back got the message across, as well as offered some good thrills and chills. I’m afraid this won’t haunt me as long as some of the other films within our Shudder Spree, though.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 4.1/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5
 
Trust the Dice Parental Advisory Rating: R
 
Movie Trailer: