The Red Mask review

By Mark Hockley

Allina Green is hired to draft a new screenplay for the Red Mask horror franchise. Under pressure to deliver something new and relevant, but still please its most devoted fans, she escapes to a remote Airbnb to write.

Helena Howard plays Allina in such a twitchy, over-stylized way that it’s hard to care what happens to her. Director Ritesh Gupta has to take some of the blame. He obviously encouraged Howard’s take on the character. Overall, his direction is competent enough, but lacks the flair or precision needed to elevate the material.

Allina is joined by her fiancé Deetz (Inanna Sarkis) and they play out horror scenarios trying to find inspiration for the script. Sarkis does better as the more stable half of the couple, though even she stumbles in the finale, where her emotional reaction is somewhat forced. Her abrupt shift into a vengeful figure is unconvincing.

The movie is at its most engaging when Kelli Garner and Jake Abel show up as unexpected guests Claire and Ryan. Their arrival injects some much-needed tension and uncertainty and for a while, the story seems like it might spark to life.

Shot on a tight budget and set almost entirely in one location, The Red Mask at times resembles a play more than a feature. Its most interesting element is the conflict between artistic ambition and the demands of fandom. There are occasional glimpses of a sharper piece in the back-and-forth exchanges, with hints of an intriguing look at the creative process. But this is soon drowned out by an increasingly implausible attempt at a cat-and-mouse thriller.

On the positive side, the practical effects are well executed, but even they can’t escape the production’s lapses in credibility. One character has a foot hacked off and somehow manages to carry on a calm conversation. This comes across as absurd rather than shocking.

I can understand the appeal of tackling the fraught relationship between artists and audiences, but The Red Mask doesn’t succeed as either clever meta-commentary or as a satisfying slasher. Ultimately, it’s a disappointment.