Cub really doesn’t pull any punches. There’s a lot of morally questionable things at play and perhaps one genuinely upsetting scene for the animal lovers out there, but holy shit did I have fun with this one. Plus, it looks beautiful and has an awesome score by Steve Moore whose work on The Guest is currently pulsing through my headphones on a regular basis. Moore delivers a retro synth-y soundtrack that keeps Cub‘s energy crackling.
The movie is a back-to-the-basics romp filtered through the harshest coming-of-age tale you can imagine. The themes are nothing new and that may be off-putting to some, especially when a particular subplot has been better explored in other feature films, however, Cub as a total package is a blast.
Govaerts’ script takes care in drawing a colorful bunch of characters from the film’s scout leaders (and cook) to the scouts themselves lead by Sam (the intense Maurice Luijten), a troubled lad who is essentially the loner of the group.
He and his scout pals venture off on a camping trip into wooded terrain that is rumored to be the stomping grounds of “Kai,” a monster responsible for a string of murders in the area. Turns out, this is no urban legend. Kai exists. Except he isn’t a monster, per se, he’s a feral kid in a mask. But he couldn’t be the one responsible for the supposed murders, could he? Sam is the first to encounter Kai. Naturally, Sam’s fellow scouts and leaders don’t believe a word he says, but when a nasty act of violence is pinned on Sam, all hell breaks loose and, in the world of Cub, anyone can die. Anyone.
The film takes some deliriously vicious twists and turns. It’s also not afraid to play the humor card either, but not in the wink-wink way. Many of the laughs are drawn from the dynamic of the scouts. Make no mistake, this isn’t some “kids horror movie,” this is kids dropped into a brutal R-rated horror movie that takes no prisoners. And Kai is a particularly creepy creation – a dirty kid with recognizable, raspy breaking and an intimidating mask. I’m not often afraid of killer kids (I feel a swift kick will do them in), but Kai is a believable threat and his actions are savage.
The aforementioned scene involving an animal may uncomfortably linger on a bit too long, but Cub corrects itself quickly, focusing its horror on the kids and adults only (I’m aware of the messed up logic in that statement). Also, the film’s production design – much like the cinematography – is richly detailed, grungy and claustrophobic.
Cub may not tread new ground, but it’s lean, mean and it’s got balls and a lot of passion behind it.
