The eighties are a rife setting for horror 40 years since the end of the decade, with a boom of TV series, video games, and films all being set in the era – with almost all having sci-fi elements and a central gang of teenagers set for adventure. With E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, Gremlins, The Lost Boys, and so many more hailing from the same time period, it's no wonder so many creatives take inspiration from them. But it can certainly feel exhaustive, with an over-saturation of the genre leading to very cookie-cutter productions with nothing differentiating them.
Here to break the mould is Test Screening, the feature debut from Clark Baker which held its world premiere at this year's FrightFest. The film follows the story of four teens from a nondescript Oregon town: Reels (Drew Scheid) who works at the failing local movie theatre, Simon (Johnny Berchtold) who is grappling with the prospect of losing his dying mother, Mia (Rain Spencer) the seeming outcast who doesn't care what others think, and Penny (Chloë Kerwin), the only child in a conservative religious household who has fallen in love with Mia. Their sleepy town has some exciting news, however, after it is picked to host a mysterious screening for an upcoming movie. As Reels, Simon, and Mia head to the event, Penny is forced to stay home by her parents who disapprove of modern media. But it turns out to be a saving grace for the teen after her friends soon discover the screening was anything but a regular movie as they fall under the effects of a devastating mind control experiment that becomes out of control.
While many of the central themes of Test Screening make it seem like just another nostalgic, neon-coated, eighties flick, what sets it apart is the disturbing body horror elements and eerie frights. Where its peers may shy away from the disgusting and the dark to appeal to all ages, Test Screening embraces the grisly and grotesque as those who attend the titular event slowly start to mutate and join together as one central, horrific being. Its central switch from strange government mystery to all-out gooey body horror is somewhat disarming and can make the film feel disjointed, but it's a breath of fresh air in an otherwise mundane genre.
The central performances are what drive home the horror, with Johnny Berchtold and Rain Spencer delivering some of Test Screening's more horrifying moments as they ensnare others to see what they have. Drew Scheid and Chloë Kerwin valiantly battle their way through their loved ones to get to the truth, with Kerwin's emotional performance as a closeted teen desperately trying to be herself offering some surprisingly touching scenes among the gloop and gore.
Test Screening is a bold film that takes some bold swings, and not all of them land with some clunky dialogue and narrative choices, but overall it is a wildly strong feature debut that delivers sci-fi delights and frights in abundance.
Test Screening had its world premiere at FrightFest 2024 on Thursday, August 22.
