Stephen King Regrets He Didn’t Write This Recent Survival Horror That Delivers Seat-Edge Suspense
Never been afraid of heights? You will be after this movie.
If you still associate horror movies with monsters, maniacs and a sea of blood, it's time to look at them from a different angle.
The struggle for survival is a fundamental element of horror films: the entire intrigue of the genre is based on which of the characters will survive to the end, and the presence of real threats serves as the main source of tension. And the most striking representative of the survival horror genre in recent years was undoubtedly Fall, released in 2022.
The project did not escape the attention of Stephen King, who expressed his regret that he did not come up with the idea for the movie:
“Fall […]: Tight, terrific, and very, very scary. […] Wish I'd written it.”
What is Fall About?
Almost a year ago, Becky lost her husband, Dan. The couple and their mutual friend, Hunter, were climbing a steep cliff when the climber fell. Becky has never recovered from the tragedy: the widow drowns her grief in alcohol and refuses to accept help from her father.
Suddenly, Hunter, who has become a successful blogger, appears on the doorstep – the friend decides it's time to help Becky in a radical way. Together, the girls climb a 2000-feet abandoned TV tower. Becky and Hunter make it to the top, but the old ladder falls down below them.
Fall is a Real Adrenaline Ride
Watching Fall can be a real attraction for acrophobes. Director Scott Mann was inspired by the real-life KXTV/KOVR tower in California, the tallest structure in the state and one of the tallest in the world.
To convey the feeling of height, the movie was shot in IMAX format, and the top of the tower was a specially built set on the mountain, so that the actresses were at a height of about 100 feet. Digital post-processing adds the feeling that the characters are really at a great height, so the director created a truly adrenaline-filled spectacle.
Fall Is a Tense Horror Movie with an Unexpected Plot Twist
Speaking about the movie, it is necessary to emphasize one important point: Fall does not go beyond the "people survive in a confined space" formula, but it is very confident in it.
The movie keeps you in suspense from the beginning to the end, and the screenwriters managed to squeeze all the juice out of such a simple concept: in the second half of the story, even the most insignificant little things from the first half take on meaning.
So why is Fall worth seeing? First of all, even though it is cheap, it is still a very entertaining and truly spectacular movie. Second, spoiler alert, this is a movie with a plot twist that works so well that the last few minutes take the movie to the next level dramatically.
And the less you know about it before you see it, the better – in fact, it's better to refuse to watch trailers or teasers. We've warned you.
Source: Stephen King on X