Nerdly » Frightfest 2024: ‘Test Screening’ Review

23rd Aug2024

Frightfest 2024: ‘Test Screening’ Review

by Matthew Turner

Stars: Chloë Kerwin, Drew Scheid, Johnny Berchtold, Rain Spencer | Written by Clark Baker, Stephen Susco | Directed by Clark Baker

Directed by Clark Baker, who co-wrote the script with Stephen Susco, Test Screening is a deliriously gloopy ‘80s-set sci-fi horror that owes a significant debt to Society (Brian Yuzna’s 1989 classic). Other references abound throughout, but that’s the film you’ll be itching to revisit after watching Baker’s small-town squelch-fest.

Set in the small Oregon town of New Hope (a deliberate Star Wars reference right out of the gate) in 1982, the film centres on a group of teenage friends: movie nerd Reels (Drew Scheid), who works at the failing local movie theatre; straight-laced Simon (Johnny Berchtold), who’s dealing with his depressed father and terminally ill mother; and Penny (Chloe Kerwin), the daughter of the local pastor, who’s struggling with her attraction to her attractive, free-spirited best friend Mia (Rain Spencer), the fourth member of the group.

When Reels discovers that a Hollywood studio is planning a test screening of a new movie in New Hope, he practically explodes with joy, thinking it has to be “Revenge of the Jedi”. However, after the screening, everybody in attendance – except Reels, for some reason, and Penny, who was forbidden to attend – begins behaving strangely. And if that wasn’t bad enough, men in dark suits have cut off the only road out of town, by blocking the local bridge. What exactly are they hiding?

Baker’s instincts for atmosphere are assured, and he brings a pleasingly nostalgic Stranger Things vibe to Test Screening, aided by some impressive production design work and a suitably atmospheric score from composer Austin Wintory. Similarly, the character of Reels – and having the movie theatre as a key location – allows for some very enjoyable 1980s film references, the highlight of which is Reels acting out the final reel of John Carpenter’s The Thing for his friends.

Without giving too much away, the titular test screening effectively imposes a degree of conservative conformity on New Hope, in a town already beginning to worry about “the gay plague”, devil-worshipping Dungeons & Dragons players and other things we hear on news reports in the background. That, in turn, leads to a surprisingly sensitive and moving character arc for Penny – the devastating moment she realises that brainwashed Mia no longer reciprocates her feelings is a chilling sequence that echoes Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), which shares a similar theme, albeit in a much less gloopy manner.

Speaking of gloop, the FX work is exceptional, with Baker making the decision to use largely practical, lovingly crafted and period-appropriate effects throughout. To reveal any more would be to spoil some of the film’s best surprises, but suffice it to say that there is imagery here that feels like it has sprung fully formed from the pages of 1980s horror comics. In addition, Baker has a keen sense of both pace and escalation, building a strong sense of mounting horror throughout and pulling off a memorable ending for a final flourish.

As for the performances, Scheid is the stand-out, with a likeable turn as a big loveable nerd that wouldn’t be out of place in Stranger Things, while Kerwin delivers a heart-breaking sensitive turn as Penny. It’s fair to say that both Berchtold and Spencer’s characters are underdeveloped by comparison, but there’s a fabulous supporting turn from James Urbaniak (always reliably creepy) as the man behind the test screening.

In short, Test Screening is an enjoyable, well-made and satisfyingly squelchy sci-fi horror that deserves to find an audience, not least because of its sensitively handled subplot.