Frightfest 2022: ‘Do Not Disturb’ Review
Stars: Kimberley Laferriere, Rogan Christopher, Janet Porter, Christian McKenna | Written and Directed by John Ainslie
Chloe and Jack travel to Miami for their honeymoon. Amidst the flashy neon and sunny beaches, they decide a peyote experience will strengthen their marriage. Unbeknownst to them, they’ve been given a rare and powerful strand of the drug that awakens a desire to eat human flesh.
I’ll admit, I was drawn to Do Not Disturb thanks to John Ainslie, director of this film, and the writer behind the brilliant Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. Ainslie was also responsible for co-writing and directing 2017’s The Resident (aka The Sublet) which, whilst not as successful as Jack Brooks IMHO, was still a decent slice of supernatural horror that was held together by lead actress Tianna Nori. And that’s also the case for Do Not Disturb, which relies heavily on its two leads, Kimberley Laferriere and Rogan Christopher, as Chloe and Jack respectively, to carry this particular drug-fuelled nightmare of a story.
It’s remarkable to watch the power dynamic change between Chloe and Jack the more the peyote takes hold; it goes from Chloe being scared of Jack to Jack being terrified of Chloe – this particular strain of peyote not only releases the couple’s inhibitions but also seemingly releases Chloe’s id monster, the side of Chloe that she’s seemingly kept tucked away for years but is now unleashed in dramatic, bloody, fashion.
I say bloody as this strain of “harmless” peyote turns both Jack and Chloe into feral cannibalistic killers, who blur the lines between sex and violence without so much as blinking an eye – only in the cold light of day do this pair even feel an inkling of remorse but never enough remorse to suggest that the pair weren’t open to this type of mass-murder WITHOUT the peyote as an excuse. Jack feels, from the get-go, like a powder keg waiting to explode, whilst the meek and mild Chloe seems TOO goody-too-shoes, as if she’s suppressing rage to keep herself sane and her relationship with Jack intact. OR was she just waiting for the right moment to strike? Where she could get Jack out of her life for good – she’s not THAT upset when he’s all banged up and bleeding after a fight with one of the hotel staff for example.
Do Not Disturb plays around with time too, as if to confuse the audience as much as our two protagonists are on this killer peyote trip. They lose track of time after their first hit and we, the audience, are seemingly taken on the trippy ride too, flashing back a day or two to fill in the gaps we didn’t see and that Jack and Chloe didn’t, initially, remember. It’s also a wonderful look at the breakdown of a relationship, set against the backdrop of psychotropic drugs and cannibalism. You may laugh but going into Do Not Disturb it’s clear that Chloe is having second thoughts about her marriage to Jack and it’s through the experience that unfolds before us that she finds the strength to finally walk away.
OK, so she also walks away from a massive bloodbath but hey, she looks to have found peace with herself and with the end of her marriage by the time this whole thing is over!
*** 3/5
Do Not Disturb screened as part of this year’s Arrow Video London Frightfest.
