Review: Anything For Jackson

Director: Justin G. Dyck

Screenplay: Keith Cooper

Year: 2020

Two adorable elders suffer the loss of their daughter and grandson. Their friendly and calm appearance would never make anyone think that they are both part of a satanic cult and are planning a ceremony to bring their grandson back. For this, they kidnap a young pregnant woman, who will give birth to their grandson’s reincarnation. 

Because of how crazy the plot summary it might seem like “Anything for Jackson” is a horror-comedy, but it isn't, although it does use dark humor in its favor. Instead, it is a chilling movie that leads you to question why Shudder didn't add this to their catalog during the Halloween season. But this should be the least of our worries when there is so much to talk about this movie. 

For brevity's sake, I'll start by emphasizing that “Anything for Jackson” has found a spot on my list of the best movies Shudder has given us this year, only surpassed by "Host". “Anything for Jackson” had everything in its favor to fight for this first spot, but some issues that I'll mention later don't allow it. The director, Justin G. Dyck, bets for a crazy but straightforward story in which it is evident that he was always sure of what he wanted to show.

The movie’s story starts by presenting the couple of elders, and only a few minutes later, they are shown as they kidnap a woman without giving much explanation. The rest of the plot written by Keith Cooper follows the same style, where things happen unexpectedly and without much explanation, and it is in the following actions where we get information about what's going on. Similarly, several horrifying scenes are included that take the viewer off-guard because of the surprise factor and the lack of information. 

Besides the excellent story and script, “Anything for Jackson” stands out for its horror scenes and the cast’s great work. At first glance, I wasn't expecting this movie to have the level of violence and gore that it has, but I was pleasantly surprised. Also, the main cast does am excellent work on the emotional side, that is what moves many of the actions and events of the plot. 

“Anything for Jackson” is an excellent movie, with a simple but well-developed plot, excellent work from its cast, and an unexpected but welcomed level of violence and terror. Where the movie fails is in the ending, which feels abrupt and confusing, generating discordance with the rest and leaves the viewer disappointed after such a great performance. Still, it will manage to get into a few lists as one of the best Shudder original movies of the year.