Sasha Nelson’s thriller Harom takes us into the mind of a young boy with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Cody (Rohan Lilien) is a young boy with nightmares of his hand and feet strapped to the bed. At breakfast, his concerned mother (Quinn Warren) insists that Cody takes his medicine for his anxiety. He nods in agreement but doesn’t do it.
“…takes us into the mind of a young boy with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder…”
During his interactions with his mother and sister Azaiah (Kylie Kuioka), Cody, and only him, sees Harom (Justin West). The dark, ominous hooded figure controls and manipulates our hero. Harom is always looming behind his mother and sister and warns Cody that his anxiety medication will hurt him. Finally, in a confrontation with his mother about not taking his meds, Cody feels pushed against the wall, and Harom, in a puppet-like fashion, manipulates Cody to do unspeakable acts against those he loves.
Harom is almost a horror film for children as Lilien is just barely entering his pre-teens, and the film doesn’t try to “scare” its audience. Instead, it wants to make a point about mental health. Writer/director Sasha Nelson sets her film in broad daylight and never uses the darkest tones associated with the horror genre. Instead, she uses themes and tropes of horror to present Cody’s torment on his path of dealing with OCD.
"…a horror film for children..."
