Sean Parker
Imagine having nowhere to run to and nowhere to go that’s safe, not even being able to sleep without your nightmares reminding you that the color of your skin defines someone’s hatred for you. That’s the fresh idea behind Raven Deshay Carter’s debut film Noseeums. When social injustice and horror collide, the viewer often wins, and Carter’s ambitious and daring film evokes a certain Candyman quality with its ghostly connection to bugs stirred up from past transgressions worth rectifying. I believe that a good story is worth its weight in gold when it comes to horror, and to that degree, Jason-Michael Anthony and Hendreck Joseph’s story is a glistening find.
Noseeums does two kinds of skin crawling, the first is with the obvious hordes of bugs, but the other is with its heavily contentious characters. Ember (Aleigha Burt) packs up for spring break, hitting the road for some R and R at a friend’s lakehouse in Florida. Despite her friend Jasmine’s (Chase Johnson) attempts to point out the flaws of spending several days with the obnoxiously affluent Abigail (Tabby Getsy), her bestie Lexi (Jessie Roddy), and Ember’s mousy, compliant roommate Tessa (Jasmine Gia Nguyen), Ember still decides to go. From the moment she hits the backseat of Abigail’s car, there’s enough veiled racism flying from the front seat that even I was growing upset by the blatant disrespect.
Arriving at the lackluster property, Ember begins feeling a strange connection with the place, one where she starts seeing strange and horrific things, begins sleepwalking, and finds her nightmares from childhood have returned in full force. In her dreams, she sees an older couple being forced off their land by jealous, white men seeking to take it from them violently. This begins Ember’s journey into discovering why she’s haunted by the past, and why it matters so much in the present.
As we storm closer toward Authoritarianism in this country, movies like Noseeums become more important. Abigail actress Tabby Getsy delivers a most vile performance as the bigoted Karen type who barks orders at Tessa and Ember, her two non-white friends, with an esteemed air of superiority that makes it so you can’t stand her. She never takes responsibility or accountability and uses her friends as weapons to wield against one another. She’s a massively affecting representation of the super-privileged people who cry foul when anyone else gets a leg up. Abigail is utterly detestable throughout the film, and Ember’s Aleigha Burt couldn’t have asked for a better antagonist.
Speaking of Burt, she puts up with a lot in Noseeums. While many have said the film exhibits Get Out qualities, and it does, some situations here felt a bit more extreme, with bits of Heathers and Drag Me to Hell fettered in. Writers Anthony and Joseph really go hard at the racial inequality elements and bigotry, sometimes to the point where it can be hard to stomach. That kind of visceral reaction doesn’t go unnoticed by reviewers such as myself. Burt is confident and competent as an actor, and her instincts on screen make for heavily intense confrontations that elevate the atmosphere.
Ember is put through the emotional, psychological, and physical wringer, as the film attempts to impress upon her the onslaught of inescapable anxieties and fears that Black Americans continue to feel. While it may be easy for Ember to play off some of the lighter prejudices, they eventually give way to larger outbursts, and it shows off this well-written subtext of how America may have arrived at this new era of flagrant racism and historical whitewashing.
Beyond the hate, there is also the identity factor to Noseeums. Ember has no sense of her own history, where she comes from, or any family she may have outside of her mother. While Ember’s situation is unique, it addresses the challenge many African Americans face in tracing their heritage. This stems from the painful saga of forced migration for slavery, which is far from being in the rearview. And it’s not like anyone was writing down names, dates, and locations while these abductions took place. The concept adds to the film’s narrative, as it shows the resiliency of a culture that continues to survive cruelty, demonization, and appropriation, while begging for the preservation of Black history for future generations.
I’m a huge fan of films, and Noseeums is one of the best societal horror pictures I’ve seen since Nia DaCosta’s Candyman. It’s a Southern Gothic that plays brilliantly against current events, while also delivering on its horror premise. Noseeums sets up one hell of a rambunctious ending that is primed to have you cheering on its vengeful, rage-filled antics. And, holy hell, is there plenty to rage about. The name of the film alone, given its content, is in and of itself an exceptionally bold double-entendre.
While Noseeums is one of my favorites from FrightFest so far, it does have its share of moments where it veers a little away from the incredible movie magic it’s obviously been gifted with. Ember meets Earl, played by a wonderfully charming Tyler Bibb. This is Bibb’s first film credit, and, yes, he shows his authenticity, but he’s lovely and not the problem. But after they get acquainted, they wind up on a bit of a The Ring-style investigation into learning more about the area surrounding Abigail’s lakehouse. It oddly feels like the movie is trying to stick a few too many things to the wall. It happens one more time near the end (though, to perhaps its unintended benefit), when a character has their Shining moment.
Regardless, Noseeums is spectacular. Carter has assembled an incredible cast and crew, and every ounce of their endeavor pays off, supplying a meaningful commentary to a frightfully fantastic debut feature. Those attending the UK premiere at FrightFest are about to get a taste of genuine American racism in all its abhorrence, while also enjoying a banger horror rollercoaster.
Noseeums held its UK Premiere at FrightFest on Saturday, August 23. For more information on this and other films playing at the festival, please see the FrightFest website.
