The other big downside is that the tonal shifts between comedy and horror/drama do not fully work. Each scene seems to kind of go for broke and achieves neither all that effectively. For example, a sequence wherein Nick is explaining that he’s going to open the door solely to drag the body of his friend into the house and that he does not want to fight is not funny, and given the dumb nature of his actions, it feels like it’s meant to be. Nor is it all that scary, as the character is being so dumb.
While those negatives do prevent Red Pill from being engrossing, Pinkins does deliver in some interesting ways. For starters, the film looks fabulous, with tons of trippy and strange visuals to highlight the hell in which these characters are trapped. The lighting is stellar, adding a strong atmosphere to most scenes, and the filmmaker goes all-in on the ending. While none of this saves the film, it does show some true artistic merit that the director could hone into something spectacular in a future project.
“…tons of trippy and strange visuals…”
Plus, while the synopsis might make it sound like the filmmaker is firmly choosing sides, she is not. Pinkins clearly prefers one party over the other but knows that hypocrisy lies within both factions. This helps not just the message and themes she portrays but allows dirty laundry and frustrations to be vented in a fairly original way.
Red Pill has a good idea at its core and knows that Democrats and Republicans can be full of themselves in the worst way. Plus, it’s well-photographed, thanks to DP John Hudak Jr., who creates several bizarre but cool-looking scenes. However, with one exception, the cast is atrocious and kills any investment one might have had in these characters and their plight. Add to that the odd tone, and it proves seemly impossible to care about anything happening on screen.
"…knows that hypocrisy lies within both factions."
While “RED PILL” was cinematically exciting, the script lost traction for me after the opening scene. The banter between the characters all seemed canned and devoid of any connection. The fact that this was a horror-comedy is a nightmare in itself. The film was shot in a creative and sinister fashion, which brought to mind “MIDSOMMER.” RED PILL reminded me of Jordan Peele’s masterpieces “GET OUT” and “US,” but not as strong as either.