Written and directed by Jacob Chase
Starring Azhy Robertson, Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.
Running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 for terror, frightening images and some language

by Audrey Callerstrom

When I saw that Come Play, the feature-length debut from writer/director Jacob Chase (based on his short film, Larry) was rated PG-13, my heart sank a little. Not that good horror films can’t be PG-13. The shot of the hanging bodies in The Sixth Sense still gives me chills and Sam Raimi did some interesting things within the confines of the rating with Drag Me To Hell. But for the most part, I anticipate lots of jump scares and low stakes. Kids looking terrified at closet doors. Blue tones. But there’s also a comfort to a PG-13 horror film. I like turning on some nonsense like Countdown or Dark Skies knowing things will be spooky but I will be spared any graphic violence. What?!? Sometimes I’m sensitive.

Come Play was a pleasant surprise. Jacob Chase wastes no time in the opening scenes. No labored flashbacks or introduction to the characters. In a matter of minutes, Chase sets the stage: Oliver (Azhy Robertson, the son from Marriage Story) has autism and a monster lives inside his phone. It keeps showing him the same e-book, Misunderstood Monsters, even when he doesn’t open it. This is how he learned the monster’s name: Larry. Larry peers at him from behind the glass, making the same groaning sounds that Oliver often makes (Oliver is non-verbal). Oliver’s parents, Sarah (Gillian Jacobs) and Marty (John Gallagher Jr.) are in the process of separating. Chase shows this in just two shots: Sarah in bed, Marty on the couch. Oliver needs his phone to communicate, pressing buttons to create sentences. The bullies in his class don’t like that he gets to have his phone out while they have to put theirs away. The bullies surround him in a field, mock him and throw his phone into the grass. But Larry doesn’t just go away.

Come Play might remind viewers of The Babadook, but it’s a little softer, a little sweeter. It’s part Babadook, part Poltergeist, but not half as scary as any moments in either of those films. For example, take the shot where Sarah is going to start replacing the bulbs in the living room after Larry snuffed them all out (he can control electricity, and can only be seen through your phone’s camera lens). The bulbs are on the table in a plastic bag. She moves away from living room to the kitchen and when she returns, she sees that all the light bulbs have been put into the lamps. Her little jump reminded me of the shot in Poltergeist when JoBeth Williams enters the kitchen to see all the chairs arranged on top of each other. Neither parent in Come Play doubts the existence of Larry. A lazier script would try and fill time waiting for a character to be convinced the Monster Is Real. Gallagher and Jacobs make a fitting couple. While I’ve felt iffy about some of Jacobs’ performances in the past, she’s convincing as a protective mama bear (also check out her out in I Used to Go Here, one of my favorites of the year so far).

Larry, Chase’s short film, doesn’t have the autistic child, or the mother, but involves a parking booth attendant who encounters Larry. It’s a suspenseful, eerie 5 minutes. It’s no surprise, then, that the parking booth scene in Come Play is the film’s strongest. With minimal effects, Chase uses some eerie moments to establish tension. A period of quiet, followed by a sudden burst of laughter from outside. A dark parking lot. And that fragile booth, where you’re somehow sheltered but completely vulnerable and exposed, surrounded by glass on all sides (Impetigore made good use of this, too). My favorite moment is how Chase establishes that there is something outside – papers fly by in the wind but suddenly, mid-air, they stop. They cling to a tall figure. Then suddenly, they blow away again. Come Play may not be a true original in terms of story, and it’s predictable, but there is a lot of heart here. The film is exactly as long as it needs to be. Also, credit where credit is due. Robertson, at only 10 years old, is a strong performer and carries the film exceptionally well. It helps that Chase respects the role and doesn’t let Oliver fall to any “scary kid” tropes. It also appears like Chase did some homework on how autistic children behave, including “stimming,” or repetitive movements that Oliver does with his hands to calm himself down. Come Play doesn’t unfold in any surprising ways, but it’s a solid debut with an exceptional lead performance from Robertson.

In select theaters this Friday, October 30.