Review of 'Not Him': A scary threesome in a troubled marriage

Not Him: A scary threesome in a troubled marriage

Cast: Tori Ernst, Charlie McElveen, Katherine Chin, Ryan Nicholas Cooper

Critic’s Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Director: Sarah Young

Duration: 15 minutes

Genre: Short, Horror, Thriller, Drama

Language: English

Release: 2024

What’s it about?

A woman is severely troubled - not knowing what to make of her husband’s uncharacteristic new persona.

Review:

Here is a fairly entertaining shocker of the low-key variety. Good acting and inter-acting compensates moderately well for the lack of jolting camera work, pulsating music or flashy special effects. Yes, writer-director Sarah Young, who has a few other Shorts to her name, conveys this film’s narrative subtly and effectively. Horror movie buffs might even notice that this flick draws from such classics as The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956/1978), The Exorcist (1973), The Stepford Wives (1975/2004) and The Conjuring (2013) among others. 

But rather than being plot driven, Not Him is an unusual and unique character study where the audience doubts the mentality and sanity of everyone protrayed. This short film opens with Michelle, a woman seriously puzzled by the identity of her husband John. The distraught lady confides her misgivings in her closest friend Kim, who is concerned but not ready to believe the strange complaint. Kim simply feels that the couple in question is going through a phase of conjugal discord.

Kim advises Michelle to return home for a heart-to-heart with John. But no sooner does she begin talking to her “husband” than he starts to behave in a lascivious and salacious manner. Completely put off by this behaviour, Michelle flat out pleads for her actual spouse back. This induces a sinister response from the entity that is supposed to be John. Michelle is at her wits' end, but is brave enough to hold her own in an attempt to invoke her real husband’s return.

At this point, the audience will be conflicted in its assessment of the scenario. Is John’s body in possession of a demon? Has Michelle simply gone insane and is she delusional? Or is it a case of John attempting to drive her crazy by playing the “gas-lighting” antic? For those who are unaware, gas-lighting is a situation where one person manipulates another into doubting their perceptions, experiences or comprehension of events... usually to a self-serving end.

When Kim and her hubby Joe show up announced, this leads to four-way chatter where Michelle repeatedly tries to put “John” on the spot. Will he survive the succession of tests? Is Michelle’s story true and will she be able to convince Kim and Joe of it? Is John suffering from a spit-personality? All these thoughts are sure to run through the viewer’s mind before the final revelation. Will all characters involved ever see “eye” to “eye” again? And is John “himself” or “Not Him”? That is for you to decide.