The reason why slasher horror movies remained so popular over the years is their versatility. You have the basic structure of a mostly single location and a single formidable killer and you can add humor or gore if you prefer so. Sissy is an intelligent and relevant modern slasher horror movie worth watching. It explores social media addiction, both adolescent and adult bullying, and friendship poignantly through intriguing and familiar characters. You might even go so far as to say that Sissy is a character-driven horror comedy in slasher clothes.
I found it more refreshing than pompous Bodies Bodies Bodies, which also primarily exploring Gen Z issues. Sissy is a movie about Cecilia, a young girl working as an influencer who suddenly reconnects with her childhood best friend. And this is going to bring up all sorts of emotions, some positive and some negative. And then tragedy will strike in the vilest but also fun way possible. The opening forty minutes are a bit slower compared to the intense second half of the movie. You can use this time to think about the characters and perhaps your own experiences growing up.
I just loved the cast of Sissy, starting with Aisha Dee and Hannah Barlow, who also co-wrote and co-directed this movie. I also shouldn’t forget to mention Daniel Monks as Jamie as he was also great. Horror fans should know that there will be blood here but it will come toward the end. Some of those scenes looked unsettlingly gory. Especially when compared to the relatively timid first half of the movie. The kills were classic but brutal making up for what they lacked in creativity with sheer ferocity.
Cecilia has over 200.000 followers on Instagram and all of them simply adore her. She posts short clips about mental health, diet, and meditation, helping them become better people. However, it would appear that Cecilia is struggling in her own life and these problems will soon escalate when she runs into Emma, her childhood best friend. Emma’s getting married and she invites Cecilia to come to the wedding not knowing that all of them will soon end up in a life-or-death situation.
If I had to describe Sissy with just one sentence, it would be: Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing. The horror streaming service Shudder really upped its game in recent months. Something I already mentioned while talking about Deadstream and Vicious Fun. And I guess I should also mention Speak No Evil although I still don’t know how I feel about that movie. Moving on, Sissy is a perfect date night movie if your girl or guy likes horror movies.
It’s funny, deals with current issues and it’s not afraid to get dirty. Kind of like Ingrid Goes West but with gruesome murders. I also have to recommend another, much better and more fucked up Australian horror comedy The Loved Ones.
Directors: Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes
Writers: Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes
Cast: Aisha Dee, Hannah Barlow, Emily De Margheriti, Daniel Monks, Yerin Ha, Lucy Barrett
Fun Facts: Not only Hannah Barlow co-directed, co-wrote and co-starred in Sissy but she also sang the song An Ode to Narcisa you can hear during the closing credits.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9602472/
