Have you ever wondered whatMidsommarwould look like as a horror-comedy? Well, look no further thanGet Away. Directed bySteffen Haars,Get Awaytakesall the tropes of folk horrorand throws them right back at the audience. It is bizarre in tone but held together by the comedic performances of its leads,Nick Frost(who also wrote the movie) andAisling Bea, who is a household name in the UK comedy scene. It captures that eerie unease of the closed commune environment from an outsider’s perspective. Yet, the protagonists are so abruptly blissful and jovial that the movie is tonally different to the rest of the folk horror subgenre.Get Awayis gloriously self-indulgentand encourages the audience tomove away from the usual seriousness of the subgenre and just relax, and that’s what makes it such a wild ride.
What is ‘Get Away’ About?
Get Awayfollows a family who decide tovisit a remote Swedish islandduring Karatån (Swedish for quarantine), a ritualistic festival in which the island commemorates its history. The central family includes Richard (Frost), Susan (Bea) and their two children, Sam (Heartstopper’sSebastian Croft) and Jessie (Maisie Ayres). Thevibe of the family is immediately absurd: the parents refer to each other as mummy and daddy, and the kids clearly have this uneasy disdain for them. Sam and Jessie’s embarrassment about their parents borders on parody, but the way Richard and Susan bumble into every interaction with such spirit makes the audience share that mortification.
‘Get Away’ Review: Nick Frost’s Family Vacation Nightmare Is More Than Meets the Eye | Fantastic Fest 2024
Frost, who stars and wrote the film, takes his family on a violent and humorous trip.
Replacing the usual cautious and modest protagonist with these emphatic and striking leads means they contrast the stoic locals even more aggressively.Frost and Bea have this innate comedic timing,which means the beats of humor are so blunt and well-placed. It over-emphasizes recognizable horror tropes and how reliant they are on the characters' actions. Therefore, unlike other movies in the subgenre where the outsiders will carefully sneak around at night to investigate and try not to make a scene,inGet Awaythe family act with this boisterous entitlement— they are on holiday, so they have the full right to explore. Their assertive tone contrasts the shroud mystery of the locals, givingGet Awayits distinctive satirical tone.
‘Get Away’ Reimagines Folk Horror Tropes
Get Awayindulges in audience expectations. It is infinitely aware of the pre-conceived notions of the viewer, soit doesn’t attempt to conceal potential danger.It is unique in the way tension is created through noises in the house and lingering shots of mirrors to heavily imply the family is being watched. These are so overt that the movie manages to acknowledge that the audience already knows the family is in danger as soon as they arrive, so it chooses towave all these red flags aggressivelyon the screen. Sam even puts the strange noises down to the fact that the family have “come on holiday to a Swedish horror movie”. It is such a sharp change of tone to the usually brooding and slow build of suspense.
Theportrayal of the localsalso offers a unique angle, as the movie doesn’t isolate itself within the family’s perspective. So, there are scenes of the locals talking about their traditions, particularly the hours-long play that they put on every year. There is such mundanity to the way they discuss whether the visitors will disturb the festivities. This matter-of-fact conversation whilst the locals aredressed in absurd costumes—one of them literally has a furry spider costume on — shows the controlGet Awayhas on its satirical tone.
Get Awaydoesn’t encourageyou to root for anyone in particular,and you don’t side with the family because you wonder why they would come on holiday to a remote island during a notoriously closeted festival. Their interactions with the villagers are also unsettlingly self-righteous. However, the villagers are similarly abrupt with them. The movie drip-feeds potential vendettas the family could have and offers a good number of potential roadmaps the plot could take, but tosay anything would take away from the wild ride the movie takes you on. As a parody of folk horror,Get Awayis a real sidesplitter.
Get Awayis available to stream on Shudder
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A family’s vacation to a remote island turns into a nightmare when they discover a serial killer is targeting them. Combining dark humor with chilling suspense, the show explores the family’s desperate struggle for survival as they attempt to outwit their relentless pursuer.
