The Voices (2014)

Screenwriters and directors have been crossing over genres for years with RomComs (Romance Comedy), Action & Comedy, and one genre that I think is the hardest to pull off in Horror Comedies. You are taking one genre that is dark in nature and you are mixing it with one that is generally light in nature and trying to make it work. That is what writer Michael R. Perry (Into The Badlands) and director Marjane Satrapi (Radioactive) did with today's film The Voices which stars Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) as Jerry. Jerry is a very likable guy who just about gets along with everyone at work, but there is just one problem with Jerry. You see Jerry has a little bit of a problem in that he hears voices like he thinks that his cat Mr. Whiskers and his dog Bosco talk to him. One night Jerry makes the mistake of killing one of his co-workers and in a panic he chops her up and he keeps her head in his fridge. Will Jerry make things right or will he kill again? The film also stars Gemma Arterton (Clash Of The Titans) as Fiona, Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) as Lisa, Ella Smith (Ray & Liz) as Alison,  Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) as Dr. Warren, and Valerie Koch (The Calling Game) as Jerry's Mother.

Spoiler Alert: This paragraph may contain some spoilers so reader beware! One of the things I liked about this film was all about production choices because they made the whole film. There are moments in the film where they give you the glimpses of reality like showing you Jerry and the fact that he makes all of the voices himself, but most importantly it's the contrast in the apartment. When Jerry is in the apartment by himself, it looks all nice, clean, and organized while the heads look absolutely fresh. When someone else enters the apartment, it looks like the house of horrors with all of the filthy Tupperware and chopped body parts. He is so far down the rabbit hole of his own delusions that he can't tell what is real and he is able to mask it with his mind. While it may not seem like a big deal to you, but it matters a lot in showing you how fragile his psyche really is and how can't come back from it. Other than that, they do a really good job layering in the elements of horror with the comedy and Ryan Reynolds is just absolutely amazing in the film whether it's as Jerry or all of the characters he covers for the film. Anna Kendrick is also a very nice surprise for the film as the naive Lisa who has no idea that Jerry is bat shit crazy. Stick around for the credits as they sing a song with Jesus! If you get a chance to run over to the VUDU app, it's showing for free as we speak. I really liked the film and loved Reynolds so I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.