Come Play (2020)

Directed by: Jacob Chase | 96 minutes | drama, horror | Actors: Azhy Robertson, Gillian Jacobs, John Gallagher Jr., Winslow Fegley, Jayden Marine, Gavin MacIver-Wright, Dalmar Abuzeid, Eboni Booth, Rachel Wilson, Alana-Ashley Marques, Alex Spencer, Ish Morris, Ana Araujo

It’s an unwritten rule in horror movies that nothing happens to children. With a few exceptions, there is no deviation from this rule. Apart from the fierce ‘The Children’ (2008), there are few full-blooded horror films in which the little ones have to suffer. ‘Come Play’ also has a child in the lead. Precisely because of his age, our antagonist is in little danger and that takes away a lot of tension. Too bad, because the idea behind this movie is quite nice. However, director Jacob Chase fails to make his feature film debut really exciting.

‘Come Play’ revolves around Oliver (Azhy Robertson). This kid is lonely and feels misunderstood. He has a hard time connecting with peers. When he comes into contact with a ‘friend’ via his smartphone, his life changes. Goodbye loneliness! Unfortunately for Oliver, his new companion is a demon. This creature wants to penetrate the real world through the virtual world. Oliver’s parents want to put a stop to that.

Director Chase stood out thanks to a five-minute video. This mini-film caught the attention of Hollywood and now the filmmaker can edit his short into a full-length vehicle. Editing a short clip into an hour and a half long film is not easy. Unfortunately, Chase did not manage to hold the attention for the full playing time. The debutant, however, comes a long way. Thanks to Robertson for this child actor’s playing is impressive.

Another strong point is the monster. The team at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop looked into the creep’s design and resulted in a cool monster. However, ‘Come Play’ never really gets exciting. The build-up of tension is too slow for that and because of his age Oliver is never really in danger. Doesn’t take away that this debut looks nice. It’s a fun genre film.