Film Review: Arcadian (2024)

Directed by Benjamin Brewer

Genre: Drama, Post-Apocalyptic, Horror

Format: Streaming

Arcadian follows a family of three: Dad (Nicolas Cage) and sons, Thomas and Joseph, as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world where humans are unable to go out at night due to an unnamed and unseen terror. The family has been living in an old farmhouse in the countryside, alone save for some neighbors, including a cute girl near Thomas's age, for fifteen years. We are given no real explanation for why the world is the way that it is. It was a purple mist, one of the boys jokes. No, it was the machines. It was bugs.

It doesn't matter exactly what it was. The story is rooted enough to continue without us having all the details and is scarier that way. Early on, we are privy to an attempted break in by one of the terrors, which bangs menacingly on the door for half a minute. The next morning, we are shown marks on the wood, made by something with strong claws. The terror is present, made bigger by our imaginations, and this works to keep the story moving forward.

One evening, Thomas stays too late at the neighbors' home and slips into a cave while running home. With night falling, his father must venture into the darkness to find him and bring him back. The family’s carefully structured life descends into chaos.

The Arcadian creatures are used well. In the beginning, we're given creepy, white hands, shadows, claws. They can extend their bodies like Elastic-man, and in one scene, we’re shown a creature's arm impossibly extending through a hole in the farmhouse door while Joseph sleeps. The sequence took me back to Signs by M. Night Shyamalan, where we see the hand of an alien reaching under the door to swipe with monstrous nails at Mel Gibson's character. It's a delightful moment, one that is both terrifying and strange, not overly done but just enough.  Later, the images of the creatures become clearer. Normally, this is a turn off for me, but these creatures are a little more creative than most horror movie bad guys. They use vibrations to stun and kill their prey, are light averse, and shaped like giant, animalistic plants (think Little Shop of Horrors but actually scary).

I liked Arcadian. I'm a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic movie, and this one delivers. We are never given too much information, and the pace moves in such a way that it builds tension naturally. The characters are well developed, the setting is beautiful but unnerving, and the creatures - while never explicitly explained - work. The ending was somewhat predictable, but it was still satisfying and tense enough to keep me watching. I also enjoyed getting to see Nicholas Cage in a strait-laced parental role. 3.5/5.

Available on Shudder

Review By Chelsea Catherine
chelseacatherinewriter.com