Today we take a look at the new Shudder Original, Anything For Jackson.
by Adam Holtzapfel
Based on the synopsis of the new Shudder Original, Anything For Jackson, I had low expectations of a tame version of Inside. Let’s just say I was wrong and this is why you don’t judge a movie by the poster or synopsis.
The film starts off in a quiet kitchen as we see bereaved grandparents Audrey Walsh (Sheila McCarthy) & Dr. Henry Walsh (Julian Richings) chatting as they go about their dastardly plan.
As the film goes on it spans various horror sub genres which I won’t go into as I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say this plays to the strengths of the story.
Written by Keith Cooper and directed by Justin G. Dyck, a duo have made a plethora of traditional holiday films. They deliver a film rife with dark humor, beautiful visuals, and at it’s heart a story of grief and “how far would you go to bring your lost loved ones back?”.
While not a holiday movie, with it taking place in the winter and being sort of an anti nativity, gruesome second coming this fits in perfectly with Shudder’s counter Christmas programming.
One thing that I found interesting and tended to cause a sense of anxiety was the offbeat soundtrack of tracks like “Daisy Bell” where everything feels ok, but you can tell it’s not. During the end credits “Father of Lies” by Battle Scarred plays like a 90’s hardcore track to keep the adrenaline flowing long after the film ends.
Using a letter grading system this portrayal of gruesome proportions easily gets an A. The reason Anything For Jackson gets this grade is due to the immersive setting, some great gore, blood, & fx, and it being beautifully shot which again proves horror can be art without beating you over the head with it (I’m looking at you A24). The film also has some surprises that I won’t dive into, they don’t impact the plot, but again I don’t want to spoil anything.
Also the casting is great. Sheila McCarthy (Die Hard 2, Orphan Black) as Audrey is believable and Konstantina Mantelos (A Christmas Crush) as Becker makes you feel her plight. Genre fans will recognize Julian Richings from his roles in Wrong Turn, Dead Silence, Saw IV, Cube, The VVitch, and plenty more. A majority of the rest of the cast were in the traditional holiday films Dyck and Cooper has previously worked on, but you wouldn’t know it from their performances. Grab a cup of hot cocoa with a little nip of whiskey in it and check this out immediately!
Pair this with the previously mentioned Inside and Silent Night Deadly Night for a Christmas Eve that will haunt your dreams while you wait for the tykes to wake up on Christmas Morning.