The story follows Meg, played wonderfully by Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood, Daredevil), an estranged daughter and forensic professional whose father vanished 36 years prior. Her life is upended when a body is suddenly discovered at the site of a brutal, horrific crime scene - and forensic testing reveals the corpse is none other than her long-lost father! As Meg teams up with law enforcement and investigators - including a great supporting turn by Jeffrey Donovan (Fargo) - to unravel the mystery, she expects to uncover a dark past of secret crimes, serial killings or hidden identities. Instead, she steps straight into a terror-filled, horrific supernatural nightmare.
The film intentionally uses a familiar, moody atmosphere and a clinical crime-investigation pace. It makes you think you are watching a psychological cat-and-mouse hunt about a disturbed killer or old family skeletons, especially when one turns up in Meg's house one dark and wet evening, feeling a bit like The Silence of the Lambs or Mindhunter in its opening acts. But as Meg digs deeper into what her father was actually doing all those decades, the writer-director duo of Downey and co-writer/cinematographer Kevin Stewart pivot the film into uncharted territory. It truly is a movie of two halves!
Her father was not quite the man who had abandoned her and her bitter mother when she was four years old; he had become tied up with something altogether more sinister, which the film keeps under tight wraps. Beyond the clever plotting, the production shines through its dedication to tactile, old-school filmmaking - eschewing excessive CGI in favour of heavy physical practical effects, creeping body horror and fabulous, decomposing transformations that give the climax a gripping, hands-on dread!
Bolstered by Stephen King’s high-profile public endorsement ahead of its release, The Cycle proves that smart casting, moody world-building and practical craft can still breathe fresh life into traditional horror subgenres. It was filmed on location in Astoria, Oregon - the historic, moody coastal port town best known as the setting for The Goonies and heavily utilised for its striking Pacific Northwest landscapes and gloomy weather - which fitted well with the general mood of the film - that isolated, timber-and-coastline atmosphere! So yes, it's dark and atmospheric in most of the second half as our characters try to unpick what on earth is going on! It's a very enjoyable watch, as is much of the content on Shudder, and recommended. Well worth the subscription now and again.
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