‘The Cycle’ Is a Perfect Horror Movie You Don’t Want Spoiled [FANTASTIC FEST REVIEW]

A Father/Daughter Mystery

Deborah Ann Woll is the kind of actor who is incredible in the way she approaches a character. From Jessica in True Blood to the quiet rage that Karen Page possesses in Daredevil, there is a beauty to the way she acts and that is made very clear in the new film The Cycle.

The thing about movies like The Cycle Is that you don’t want to know what happens as the film’s major twist before going in. If anything, you want to look up very little. Yes, as I was watching I figured out what was going to happen with the “villain” of the film quite quickly but that’s just me and how my brain works. I feel like for most people, the twist will be shocking because it doesn’t feel like the world that this film is set (which is a compliment to director and writer Jordan Downey’s ability to set up the world).

By having Woll’s character Meg dealing with the death of her estranged father, it colors a lot of the “mystery” of the film around her and her feelings on the matter. But so much of what makes The Cycle something incredible comes from the fact that the film’s second half is truly such a delightful shock that you can’t help but watch on the edge of your seat.

Verdict: Some Movies Need You to Just Go in Blind

Not every movie needs you to know everything about the plot to enjoy it. Yes, with horror, some people like to go in knowing some of what they’re dealing with. But The Cycle does benefit from the lack of information about it. Or at least when I saw it because at the time I knew very little. And it made every twist and turn feel earned and it made me feel powerful knowing that I figured it out.

The Cycle really has it all. A great cast, a cool twist, and the best use of an audience’s lack of information that I’ve seen in a while.