It’s not easy being a single mother. It’s hard enough rearing children with the help of a partner, but doing so without any assistance is a herculean task that countless women undergo. Being a single mother expecting her first child is at the heart of the pitch-black horror comedy from writer-director Alice Lowe, Prevenge. This wildly demented piece of cinema will invoke an array of reactions as its pregnant lead character goes on a murderous rampage through the streets of London. There’s comedy, horror, and shocking moments of graphic gore in Alice Lowe’s entertaining work of violent prenatal lunacy.
When we first see Ruth (Lowe), she’s pregnant and entering into a pet store. She says she’s there to buy something for her 8-year-old son, and the sleazy shopkeeper taunts her with sexual innuendo while showing her various snakes and insects. The pregnant woman keeps her cool and while the pet store employee leans down she removes a knife and slashes his throat, letting him bleed out in the back of the shop. Ruth’s boyfriend died in a rock climbing accident on the day she discovered her pregnancy, and the pain of loss has consumed her. In her mind, she hears the voice of her unborn child telling her to seek vengeance for the loss of its father, a request that Ruth obliges out of maternal obligation. When she’s not a killing spree, though, Ruth does what any pregnant woman would do – attend Lamaze classes and doctor’s appointments. However, she also spends time stalking the rock climbing instructor, Tom (Kayvan Novak), whom she believes responsible for the death of her lover. Ruth is torn between caring for the womb and the tomb.
Alice Lowe allows the audience to dive deep into the mind of Ruth in her decent into violent madness. Her unborn child speaks to her in a creepy, unsettling manner that motives her to commit ghastly deeds. Just because Prevenge is entirely devoted to the female perspective doesn’t mean that Lowe is pulling punches with its gruesome content. The gore of the film is extremely explicit, often simultaneously shocking and repulsive. Yet through all of this ugliness lies an undercurrent of extremely dark humor, much like one would’ve seen in the Lowe’s collaboration with Ben Wheatley, Sightseers. Time and time again, Alice Lowe presents situations and images that you just know shouldn’t be so damn funny but you just can’t help but laugh at the twisted sensibilities on display in Prevenge.
Prevenge isn’t for the squeamish but it does deliver the goods with ample gore and plenty of sardonic laughs. Alice Lowe has crafted an unusual anti-hero in the murderous Ruth, a character that isn’t like many to ever grace the screen. Simultaneously, the audience is rooting for and against her as she carries out her violent rampage in a movie that doesn’t dare comment on the morality of its lead character (because it’s all so obviously wrong). Prevenge is a demented delight to behold, a crazed comedy that is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered before. After Prevenge, you’ll be sure to be extra nice to any pregnant women you encounter ever again.
Prevenge debuts exclusively on Shudder on Friday, March 24th.
Prevenge
- Overall Score
Summary
A twisted tale of revenge from writer-director-star Alice Lowe, Prevenge is a movie about motherhood unlike any other ever made, dancing between the womb and the tomb.
