Using the Irish folklore angle on the Fetch changeling allows further expansion of the cinematic evil twin into total creep-out territory. Using Nicholas’s fiendish double as an expressionistic symbol of his hatred for himself is quite brilliant. Also worthy of mention was the genius choice of the end-credit song Mason Proffit’s Two Hangmen. Yes, it is in questionable taste, but with an underheard classic tune like this, all is forgiven.
“…painted in by its own ambition and can’t quite get out alive….”
There are also a couple of ways The Fetch goes wrong, unfortunately. First is the choice to remove the wife from the main action early on in such a wretched way. When she abandons her mentally ill husband in the house where their kid died the day he is released, Palladino’s character loses all sympathy she could have from the audience. This is a major flaw because we are just left with one potential victim in the house instead of two and no one to be scared of when you run out of sympathy for the husband. It isn’t necessary to have a body count for a horror movie to be scary, but it is very hard to get worked up over a threat to just one person.
The first half does a wonderful job at hinting about the horror at play, building up dread, while the second half over-explains the horror, leaking all that dread out. And then there is the psychological horror versus supernatural horror tug-of-war on display. For most of the picture, Doler does do a good balancing act of keeping the question going as to whether there is a supernatural force at work or if the whole thing is a figment in Nicholas’s tortured mind. But then there is a moment in the final act that confirms the horror is supernatural for no good reason, then resumes the balancing act. Why, when there was no need? The Fetch looks great and delivers some scares but is painted in by its own ambition and can’t quite get out alive.
"…looks great and delivers some scares..."
