Title: Companion
MPA Rating: R
Director: Drew Hancock
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Megan Suri
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

What It Is: Iris (Thatcher) absolutely adores her boyfriend, Josh (Quaid). She vividly remembers the day they met—an adorable meet-cute in a grocery store. Now, she and Josh are heading off for a weekend getaway with his best friend, Kat (Suri), and her boy toy, Sergey (Rupert Friend). But when things take a turn, it quickly becomes clear that not everyone is who they claim to be. What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend spirals into chaos, and instead of unwinding, everyone finds themselves fighting for their lives.

What We Think: This is an example of how to take a concept that’s been done recently (killer robot girl) and make it feel fresh, new, and fun. Sophie Thatcher is absolutely excellent here, bringing real life to her character. Jack Quaid is usually the kind of guy you root for—he’s a bit of a dweeb, and in something like Plus One, you’re absolutely cheering for him to get the girl. Here? Well, here, you absolutely do not want him to succeed in any way, shape, or form because he’s a total douche. He plays slimy really well. Rupert Friend, despite his small role, is also great, and overall, there’s a really fun dynamic among the cast. Drew Hancock makes a helluva feature debut here. For a first-time director, he took some big swings, and for the most part, they paid off.

Our Grade: B+, Man, what a fun film this was. I fully expected to be able to predict all the beats, but that’s not what happened here. I loved the surprises as they unfolded. The entire cast was great in their roles, and honestly, there’s a sense of fun to this that makes it highly rewatchable. Horror films like this live and die by their kills, and this modern spin on the slasher genre works just as well as M3GAN, even if it takes a different approach than its mechanical counterpart. Check this one out whenever you get the chance—it’s really that good.