Stream is written by Steven Della Salla, Jason Leavy, Robert Privitera, and director Michael Leavy. The slasher uses a dysfunctional family trying to patch things up to lean into an examination of the horrors technology can be used for. While not the most original, do the four screenwriters bring enough fresh ideas and kills to make for a satisfying watch?
Roy (Charles Edwin Powell), his wife Elaine (Danielle Harris), teenage daughter Taylor (Sydney Malakeh), and 11-year-old son Kevin (Wesley Holloway) are at odds with one another. Their relatable struggles are evident. Kevin just wants to stream his video games while Taylor sneaks out and constantly gets into mischief. The straw that breaks the camel’s back involves her attempting to steal alcohol, though thankfully, the market owner declines to press charges. This information makes Roy and Elanie decide to take the kids and get away for the weekend. And that they do, as the hotel they go to doesn’t even have wifi.
At check-in, the hotel proprietor, Mr. Lockwood (Jeffrey Combs), acts squirrelly. But given all the construction happening at the moment, the family chalks it up to stress. However, after getting settled in, Roy and company begin to hear screams. Unfortunately, they aren’t the screams of fun from next door. No, people in masks have broken into the guests’ rooms and are dispatching them while streaming their heinous crime. Why are they doing this? Can Roy, Elaine, Taylor, and Kevin make it out alive? What, if anything, does Mr. Lockwood have to do with this deadly turn of events?
“…people in masks have broken into the guests’ rooms and are dispatching them…”
Stream runs 2 hours and 3 minutes, including the opening titles and closing credits. The horror does not really begin until almost an hour in. There are a few moments that hint at it until the first kill of a couple on their honeymoon, but nothing substantial. Most of the runtime before the murders begin is dedicated to Roy’s family drama. Unfortunately, there’s not enough for them to justify this. It’s not that they are one-dimensional, but the family does have cliched characterizations. Roy cannot figure out how to relate to his kids, but he does love them and his wife. Elaine is there, for sure. Taylor wants her parents off her back because they don’t understand what she wants from the world. Shockingly, Kevin gets the most dimensionality in that he loves to stream his video playthroughs and is pretty good with technology. The villains are not explored at all; they are just baddies with weapons causing bloodshed.
But once the slayings begin, the film does work quite well. For starters, it is refreshing that there’s more than one killer, and that fact is known from the start. The various implements used to maim and dismember are fun. While most of the bloodletting is of the startling and gruesome variety of horror, a few moments, especially involving Kevin, do draw out the tension. A man’s face being brutally beaten to a pulp is both satisfying and visceral.
The cast is, with one exception, excellent. Powell conveys his character’s hopeless outlook while still loving his on-screen family. Harris hasn’t lost an ounce of her charisma or energy since she first burst on the screen. Malakeh makes Taylor’s defiance feel natural. Holloway is fantastic as the young tech whiz. He’s funny, scared, and full of confidence. But of course, Combs really steals the show, and a cameo from Tony Todd is well worth it.
Stream is long, too long. The characters are decently written, but their family drama does not justify the hefty runtime. But, an hour in, the kills really pick up steam, which means the film does as well. There are plenty of grisly and fun murders, and the effects are stellar. The cast, led by a terrific Holloway and an over-the-top Combs, is genuinely fantastic.
For more information, visit the official Stream site.
"…plenty of grisly and fun murders..."
