In Horror, Teenage Angst Can Be Deadly
When we were young, we used to close our eyes and blow out all of the candles after everyone sang "Happy Birthday." We squeezed pennies tightly in our hands before letting them drop into fountains and broke tiny bones in two — but our wishes never came true. We didn't have a magical music box like Clare Shannon (Joey King) in WISH UPON.
WISH UPON is the latest horror film from John R. Leonetti, the director of ANNABELLE, another scream-worthy story. Clare is your average teenager: She loathes high school, where she's bullied by the quintessential popular blonde; she daydreams about boys; and she doesn't always think through the potential consequences of her actions. That is, until after she finds an old music box with an inscription that promises to grant the owner seven wishes.
And it does: Her enemy starts to rot (literally), and she gets the guy … plus a new car and shopping spree. But every fulfilled wish comes at a price. One by one, the people closest to her begin dying in gruesome and twisted ways — you'll think twice before using one particular kitchen appliance again — and Clare's teenage angst doesn't seem so heavy anymore.
To be fair, she isn't the first and she won't be the last teen victim driven by anguish, personal gain and raging hormones. In DON'T BREATHE, a trio of young thieves break into the house of a wealthy blind man, who they believe will be an easy target for a perfect heist. Unfortunately for them, he isn't as helpless as he seems.
IT FOLLOWS may as well be a PSA for teen abstinence. All Annie wanted was the freedom to go on dates and hold hands with a cute boy. But after a strange sexual encounter, she finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her.
A high school tradition becomes a nightmare for one teen in THE LOVED ONES. When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she and her father concoct a wildly violent plan for revenge, involving a hammer, drill and … confetti?
In these films, some teens escape from being hunted or haunted; others aren't so lucky. What will happen to Clare? Will she get rid of the music box before it takes another life and eventually her own? We hope you'll see WISH UPON this summer at AMC and find out. (We would say "wish," but we know to be careful what we wish for.) Get your tickets today.