Gen Z is now firmly in their 20s, and Hollywood has started tackling the particular foibles of their generation in recent horror films - really the only genre in American film that attempts to stay current with social change with any success. "Fall" is a survival film, directed by Scott Mann and co-written by Mann and Jonathan Frank, that often feels like it succeeds in spite of its pointedly Gen Z heroines. "Bodies, Bodies, Bodies," directed by Halina Reijn and written by Sarah DeLappe, is a more interesting slasher film that comments on and criticizes some common Gen Z hallmarks.
"Fall" is about two young women, Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Garner), who are thrill-seekers. On the anniversary of the death of Becky's husband Dan (Mason Gooding) in a climbing accident, Hunter convinces Becky to join her on a stunt, climbing a freestanding, two thousand foot TV tower in the middle of the desert. When the stunt goes wrong, and the women are stranded on the tallest part of the tower without a safe way to get down, they have to figure out a way to call for help. They have very few supplies, and have to contend with injuries, vultures, bad weather, and no reception.
I feel like I'm picking on "Fall," because it's clearly a small budget affair made by people who are all a little wet behind the ears, and its creators should be praised for putting together a clever scenario with some good moments of suspense. The heroines are clearly smart and resourceful, trying multiple methods to attract attention and signal for rescue. However, the characters are otherwise pretty awful. Becky's entire personality comes down to still grieving her husband every spare moment she has, while Hunter is one of those social media creatures who comes up with the idea to scale the tower so she can film herself while doing it. This provides a handy explanation for why the two women are doing something so incredibly stupid, but it doesn't mean they don't still come across as incredibly stupid.
I tried very hard to root for the protagonists, but honestly the film lost me around the third act, when the filmmakers try to pull off a big twist and somewhat bungle the execution. Otherwise, they do a very good job of making the peril feel real, and progression of events feel mostly plausible. Technology is used in a smart way, and this is one of those films that wouldn't work as well in the pre cell-phone age due to the way the ending plays out. However, Becky and Hunter fit the image of the attention-seeking, social media obsessed airhead way too well for it not to have been a deliberate choice, and it's awfully grating. "Fall" is a pretty good watch in spite of this, as a no-frills, high tension thrill ride.
Now "Bodies, Bodies, Bodies" leans into the faults of its twenty-something characters, a friend group of mostly rich, privileged young people, who are having a hurricane party at the home of one of their absent parents. Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) brings Bee (Maria Bakalova), her new girlfriend, to meet her bestie David (Pete Davidson), his actress girlfriend Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), other friends Jordan (Myha'la Herrold) and Alice (Rachel Sennott), and Alice's much older new boyfriend Greg (Lee Pace). Immediately tensions are apparent when Sophie shows up, because nobody knew she was coming, and they didn't part on the best terms with her. The party soon devolves into heavy drinking and drug use, and then someone comes up with the bright idea to play "Bodies, Bodies, Bodies," a murder game similar to "Mafia" or "Werewolf."
The filmmakers present a very unflattering look at these characters, who are all terrible people, and display toxic behavior with each other. As the evening progresses and the hurricane hits, all kinds of dark secrets come spilling out about cheating, addiction, mental health problems, and general bad behavior. Everyone is a likely suspect, and the actors playing them represent a nice collection of young talent. Rachel Sennott stands out in particular, playing a podcaster and influencer without much self-awareness, and very little filter. The more fun characters unfortunately get killed off quickly. However, my only real complaint about the film is that it never struck me as very scary or very thrilling. It works fine as a black comedy, especially as the characters start turning on each other, but I never found much of a sense of urgency except right when the first murder happens.
I suspect that like "Fall," it came down to not having anybody to root for. "Bodies, Bodies, Bodies" looks great, with the fantastic central visual metaphor of a McMansion being systematically destroyed by both the partygoers and the hurricane. The use of glow-stick lighting, cell-phone lighting, and panic room lighting are all a delight. However, the script is a little too good at demolishing all the players. Or maybe the problem is with me, a rapidly aging Xennial, who is finding herself on the wrong side of a generational divide. And who probably has to work on that.
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