THE BELKO EXPERIMENT, based on an inspired script by none other than James Gunn, was another highlight of Midnight Madness at this year’s TIFF. We open on a nondescript English speaking office in South America. The workers there are mostly bored and goofing off — in fact, nobody is entirely sure what they do there, though they think it has something to do with facilitating English-speaking business in South America. Then steel doors slam down over all the windows and exits. A voice comes over the intercom saying that the people in the building must kill two people before the hour is out. If they don’t, there will be consequences. Of course, people start to panic, but when the deadline comes, nobody is dead. As a result, four people’s heads just explode. Now the voice says that the people in the office have a certain amount of time to kill 30 of their coworkers. If they don’t, 60 will die. That’s right, BATTLE ROYALE meets THE OFFICE!
As you can imagine, this is a movie with a hell of a lot of deaths. And many of the kills are pretty damn brutal. This isn’t a film where characters die because they do something stupid like go wandering in the woods with an axe murderer on the loose. Oh no, most of the deaths here are innocent people just trying to do their job, when they are both terrorized by their mysterious overlords, then hunted down by people who hours ago were their friends and colleagues. That’s such a great setup for truly disturbing horror. And what a metaphor! If you think your colleagues are just pretending to be friendly, but will stab you in the back any chance they get, just wait until they are given actual weapons and encouragement.
The thing that really sells THE BELKO EXPERIMENT is the overwhelming normalcy of the cast. They seem like real office workers, not Hollywood stars (in reality most are either from TV or are character actors in film). Michael Rooker may be the most famous of the lot, but he seems like a random guy from an office anyway. But my favorite bit of casting is John C. McGinley from OFFICE SPACE. Tony Goldwyn plays the CEO, and puts to the test the adage that the job selects for psychopaths. John Gallagher Jr. plays Mike Milch, one of the most likable characters, and the voice of reason. He’s fighting for the survival of both he and his girlfriend, played by Adria Arjona. At the Midnight Madness screening, James Gunn said that John Gallagher Jr. gave the best audition he’d ever seen in his life for Peter Quill in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. He said he just wasn’t right for that role, but he vowed that he’d find a way to work with him at some point. I can see why. He looks like an everyman, but has enough charisma to carry a film.
THE BELKO EXPERIMENT was an old script of James Gunn’s, but now that he’s all Mr. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, he can’t direct such nuggets of coal black darkness. So he handed it over to Greg McLean (WOLF CREEK) to direct. As a result, the writing is a lot better than the direction. It isn’t that the direction is bad, but it is more like the lighting and cinematography could have been better, and the editing and beats could have been tighter. The script makes up for any lapses in direction though. After an initial introduction to a wide range of characters, once the killings start, things move at an ever-evolving pace. But as dark as the script is, it is also funny. The occasional quip of dark humor helps to lighten some of the relentless tension. Also, most of the characters are remarkably well-rounded and well-motivated for such a packed and over the top film.
Even though it was directed by someone else, it is clear that at the core this is a twisted James Gunn horror-comedy through and through. Gunn was a producer, and populated the film with lots of his buddies. One of my favorite James Gunn twists is that it seems like he’s setting up things one way, but then something unexpected happens, subverting our expectations. I love that kind of unpredictability, and the kind of freedom he has here in an independent horror movie. That’s something he can’t afford with big studio tentpoles.
After the screening in Toronto, THE BELKO EXPERIMENT got picked up for US release, and could come out in March of 2017. If you’re a fan of smart, inventive horror, it is worth checking out.
