Review: Becky

Director: Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion

Screenplay: Nick Morris, Ruckus Skye, and Lane Skye

Year: 2020

Becky is a rebel teenager full of rage but, different from many teenagers, her attitude is not only the product of her hormones, rather the way in which she goes through her grief after losing her mother. Her relationship with her father keeps deteriorating and, in an effort to improve it, he takes her to spend a weekend in their old country house. While they are in the house, some prison fugitives invade it searching for a key.

What Becky doesn’t know when she accepts going to the country house is that her father Jeff invited his new girlfriend and Becky gets to know about their plans to get married. Perceiving this as treason, Becky’s rage flourishes, something that will be useful later. When the fugitives make their forceful entry to the property, Becky must defend herself from this menace, at the same time that she finds an avenue in which to divert her fury.

In the first scenes of "Becky", the attitude of the protagonist Becky is established and at the same time, we can see her true personality and the reason for her rebelliousness. The script of Nick Morris, Ruckus Skye (“The Devil To Pay”), and Lane Skye (“Rattle The Cage”) works Becky's background so well and actress Lulu Wilson (“Annabelle: Creation”) does such good work in her interpretation that we immediately get behind the character. The direction of Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion (“Cooties”) emphasizes these characteristics, which become more and more important for the events that take place in the house and how Becky reacts to them.

"Becky" can be considered as an adult and horror lovers’ version of "Home Alone" and its plot can lead to thinking that it's unrealistic or exaggerated. However, the good work from the writers to establish the situations and the background for Becky and the rest of the characters makes it all feel organic and it never feels like Becky is not in danger or that she can manhandle her stalkers. On the contrary, the villains are always presented as a menace established by her physical imposingness as well as by the violence they are capable of perpetrating. 

On the side of the villains who stands out the most is the leader of the group named Dominick interpreted by an unrecognizable Kevin James (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”) who makes a spectacular work in what might be his first role outside of comedy. His right hand, known as Apex, interpreted by Robert Maillet (“300”), also does a great job in his acting, but without a doubt, he stands out the most because of his impressive physique and character background. When these villains recur to violence, we see that they have little qualms, but find a worthy opponent in Becky, which leads their confrontations to be bloody and bring moments of gore as uncomfortable as they are memorable.

“Becky” presents a simple story but very well-crafted in its technical aspect as well as in the emotional one, enhanced by the great acting. From beginning to end you get behind Becky and her situations and you can feel the danger as well as her fury. Besides its story, this movie stands out with its gore, which is so impressive that it deserved to keep an eye out for.