‘Bad Bones’ Review
Stars: Maddison Bullock, Chris Levine, Jamie Nelson, April Beardslee, Danielle Rabinovitch, Robin Thompson | Written and Directed by Scott Eggleston
On the face of things, not the most inspiring of titles for a mystery/sci-fi/horror movie but there is sense in the title, at least after you’ve seen it. We see a couple move into a new house, despite reservations from close family. Although details seem brief, the wife is dying and they believe the house might be able to help in some way but the house has other ideas.
This is a very low-budget movie but this is only really clear because of the lack of any kind of effects (bar one small moment) or locations. This is not a bad thing though, the filmmakers – none more so than writer and director Scott Eggleston – clearly have a good idea for a script and have made it despite having no budget. Could having some money make this a better movie? I’m sure it would no doubt help but it’s a good enough story to be told without it.
Although Bad Bones is quite a dialogue-heavy movie, it never really feels like it. The story moves along at a good pace, and you enjoy watching it unfold bit by bit. There’s enough ‘action’ happening on screen that you never really worry that much of Bad Bones is the same two people interacting for a huge part of its runtime. The action consists of the occasional supernatural and strange occurrences that happen between the couple and what the house is doing to them. The occasional sense of panic and tension – helped by a decent score – keep the movie ticking along nicely.
The biggest positive about Bad Bones is the script and the ideas it has. There’s lots of refreshing and original parts to the story and this doesn’t feel like any movie I have seen before. That is difficult to do in 2022 and it’s brave to attempt something like this with such a small budget. The main themes are clear and the thing that keeps the audience engaged. The dialogue isn’t great at times and the two main actors do show some inexperience at times. That’s not to say they put in poor performances; they are just a little inconsistent. You do want to see their characters a little more fleshed out, you want to know a bit more about their history, but most things are kept in the moment.
I’ve said it previously, but I tend to enjoy low-budget sci-fi movies. There seems to be some great ideas from indie filmmakers in the last ten years or so and these directors and writers are going out there and making these ideas a reality even if the budget isn’t really there. It should be absolutely commended that these films are being made. Hopefully, the people making them will go on to be able make bigger movies and that is definitely the case with Scott Eggleston. It’ll be super interesting to see what he does in the future. Bad Bones doesn’t quite hit the highs that its ideas want you to but there’s plenty here to enjoy.
