‘The Lizzie Borden Game’ VOD Review
Stars: Airisa Durand, Jason Brooks, Laura Wilson, Jessica Noel Thompson, Chynna Rae Shurts | Written and Directed by Calvin Morie McCarthy
In The Lizzie Borden Game, cult indie horror director Calvin Morie McCarthy (Conjuring: The Beyond; Beware the Boogeyman) returns with another low-budget but high-effort stab at supernatural horror. Blending urban legend thrills with practical gore and flashes of sly humour, the film is a knowingly campy entry that horror buffs with a taste for B-movie bloodshed may well find appealing—if they have the patience.
Let’s clear something up right away: this isn’t a dramatisation of the infamous Lizzie Borden case. Instead, McCarthy mines the true crime icon for mythic inspiration, turning her into the Bloody Mary of this story. A group of five adult friends, including Emily (Airisa Durand), reeling from the tragic loss of her parents, gathers at a remote gothic “castle” for a Friendsgiving getaway. In the spirit of spooky fun, they try a local ritual called “The Lizzie Borden Game,” meant to summon the ghostly axe-wielding spirit. But when they fail to finish the ritual properly, they unleash Lizzie’s wrath.
McCarthy leans hard into genre hallmarks, crafting a second half drenched in inventive kills and practical gore. Faces are flayed, heads are halved, and the effects, while clearly done on a budget, are gleefully grotesque. It’s a rare case of a modern indie horror film showing rather than implying violence, and McCarthy earns points for not shying away. That said, the story takes too long to get to the carnage. The supernatural horror doesn’t truly kick in until well past the halfway mark, and the lore surrounding Lizzie’s spirit is never made entirely coherent; her powers and motivations shift from scene to scene, sometimes ghostly, sometimes zombie-like, and occasionally bordering on possession.
Character work is a surprising highlight. Though the script is thin, McCarthy gets genuine chemistry from his ensemble. A running back-and-forth between an English visitor and his American friend injects some much-needed levity, and their banter about war history and cultural quirks feels natural and funny. The group dynamics generally work, although Durand’s performance as grieving Emily is occasionally overwrought. Her arc is central to the plot, but lands with mixed results emotionally.
Visually, The Lizzie Borden Game makes clever use of shadows and lighting to stretch its resources. While the overall look screams “microbudget,” the cinematography works hard to create atmospheric tension where possible. The result isn’t polished, but it is effective, particularly in a few eerie mirror scenes and some unsettling dream sequences.
Where The Lizzie Borden Game falls short is in its narrative ambition. The mythology around the titular ghost is never clearly established, and the plot remains bare-bones. Still, that may be by design, the film delivers a goofy, gory ride for those in the mood for late-night supernatural slashing.
Ultimately, the film won’t convert horror sceptics, and it certainly won’t win awards, but for fans of bloody indie horror with a taste for practical gore and throwback vibes, it’s a worthwhile watch.
**½ 2.5/5
The Lizzie Borden Game is available to stream now on Amazon Prime, with additional digital platforms to follow on August 1st.
