With Danny Boyle’s 2002 stark opus to human extinction, 28 Days Later re-igniting the zombie apocalypse genre and more recently the critically acclaimed The Walking Dead lighting up the small screen, festival director Kelly Michael Stewart showcased the perfect vehicle to open his neo-noir Canadian filmfest.
Canadian horror cinema has always had a sense of gravitas in the most hard scrabble of ways and director Ryan Andrews is no exception.
SICK opens on our heroine Dr. Leigh Rozetta (Christina Aceto) barely keeping it together as she struggles to leave her dying mother to find a cure for a dieing world in a secret government facility. Her multiple trials without a serum start to take their toll as reports of the infection continues to spread. Dr. Rozetta just wants to return home to her parents. On her return she crosses paths with militant survivalists, McKay (Robert Nolan) and Seph (Richard Roy Sutton). The tension builds as they search for shelter before night falls as more infected come out to feed.
SICK shines brightest in its quiet moments of introspection and that is due in part to a solid screenplay and strong performances by Christina Aceto and the ensemble cast. Director Ryan Andrews pays homage in re-inventive ways to George A. Romero and Danny Boyle while still keeping true to his story.
Verdict: 4/5
Canadian horror cinema has always served notice that its stories, sensibilities and characters were a unique brand of horror. SICK has not only reaffirmed that brand but put a new twist on the horror classic. Ryan Andrews is the new maestro in fear.We leave you with some photos of the World Premiere showing of SICK
