A slow buildup can create suspense in scary movies. In “Children of the Corn” (1984), it creates boredom, and time to wonder how a dimwitted young doctor and his girlfriend (gorgeous Peter Horton and gorgeouser Linda Hamilton) were able to string so many bad decisions together. It’s not their fault a small town was co-opted by a possessed cornfield for a reenactment of “Lord of the Flies.” But who drives from Illinois to Seattle by way of Nebraska? Even I-29 avoids Nebraska! But like the TV commercial says, bad decisions are the soul of mediocre horror flicks, even Stephen King’s.
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Inexplicably, uncomfortably, authentically funny. Going in, I thought “Family” (2019) carried the whiff of a middle schooler’s gym class farts. Then I realized Kate McKinnon only had a small role and this film was serving up some of the coldest deadpan since peak Steven Wright. Sometimes, awkward kids turn out great. Sometimes they become awkward aunts who suddenly have to care for awkward pre-teens. This movie talks about those times, and is able to do so hilariously and with just a smidgen of heart. The humor is so dark and edgy, though, I’m not surprised it wasn’t a commercial hit.
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