Movie Review: ‘Don’t Click’

by | Dec 18, 2020 | Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments

Review by James Lindorf

Horror is often just thought of as the genre of blood and boobs and while that is true for several members of this genre are often morality tales. Don’t do drugs, don’t have premarital sex, or, god forbid, be promiscuous. Don’t read from books you don’t understand, don’t cover up a murder with a group of friends, and don’t find pleasure I the suffering of others.

Directed by G-Hey Kim and Written by Courtney Ellum, “Don’t Click” follows best friends, roommates, and college freshmen Josh (Valter Skarsgard) and Zane (Mark Koufos) as they revel in new experiences. For Josh, it is parties, girls, and lots and lots of molly. Zane’s experience is centered around a graphic BDSM website that may be hosting snuff films. One night after walking his girlfriend home, Josh returns to an apartment where there’s no sign of Zane except for his open laptop. When the screen starts flashing, it catches Josh’s attention, and it is the last thing he can remember before waking up to find himself and Zane in a dank, dreamlike cellar with no way out. Being trapped and alone seems like a dream when a dangerous entity begins to control their bodies and minds. “Don’t Click” is currently available on VOD platforms.

“Don’t Click” is what you get when you combine internet-based horror films like “FeardotCom” or “unfriended” and Eli Roth style torture porn. Kim and Ellum deftly blend the two subgenres into one cohesive film that doesn’t feel like it is busting at the seams from trying to do too much. The script is filled with good ideas, but it fails in its execution. The CGI and many practical effects are basic, either due to a lack of funding or skill. The acting, for the most part, is bad. Of the cast, they assembled it was a wise decision to make Valter the central figure. He may be the least talented, or least polished, of the Skarsgard family, but he is head and shoulders above his costars here.

“Don’t Click” shows a lot of promise for Kim, Ellum, and Valter and could be something future fans return to see where they began. Other than its message about the dangers of porn and remind the audience that the people on the other side of your screen are still people, “Don’t Click” has little to offer its audience. While it has no chance of being a hit and a slim chance at being a cult hit, there is still a chance that “Don’t Click” will live on in film school halls. Teachers and students can have long-lasting conversations about what went right and what could be changed to make a more impressive movie.

Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Director: G-Hey Kim
Writer: Courtney Ellum
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 11, 2020 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2020
Runtime: 1h 18m