The Shed
Release Date: November 15, 2019 (2020 on Shudder)
Director: Frank Sabatella
Streaming Platform: Shudder
Barnabas: When we first previewed The Shed ages ago, I don’t even think there was a trailer available, so I went into my initial viewing totally blind. It was on Shudder that I learned this would be a vampire movie, and if you know me at all then you know I have a soft spot for that subgenre of horror. What made The Shed even more appealing is the unique scenario in which it placed the vampire creature: an otherwise unassuming teen’s… you guessed it… shed! It’s a pretty interesting gimmick that I hoped wouldn’t cheapen the overall product.
The good news is that The Shed is produced well; solar flares extend across the frame just right during outdoor profile shots and the camerawork is smooth and well-thought-out, special effects look legitimate, and the editing is fine. Even the acting is pretty good, but the characters themselves are largely just boring caricatures of your typical edgy teenager. The best character, in my eyes, was definitely the best friend, Dommer, played with tenacity by Cody Kostro, but even his arc was fairly predictable. This implies that the script itself was pretty subpar, which I can support by saying that the gimmick of the “shed” itself, a makeshift prison/feeding ground for the vampire creature, wore itself pretty thin as the movie went on because it just became repetitive.
But what about the creature? Yeah, it was cool enough. I won’t say too much about it and risk spoiling anything, but the makeup effects were well-done and the mythology borrowed a bit from classical vampire lore and the more modern, as well. What became really intriguing was seeing how the film navigated the typical “vampire” tale in the daytime, which most of it took place in, and I think it married that element with the shed itself effectively.
Ultimately, there’s a fun uniqueness to The Shed that I enjoyed and I found the movie entertaining enough, but the gimmick became a bit redundant and the writing wasn’t the best. Frank Sabatella’s creature feature is still worth checking out if you’re in the market for a solid new monster movie with an interesting twist.
Verdict: Not chopped
Samael: The Shed started off as a slow burn but the climax of the movie makes up for it… almost. So, this kid basically has a vampire hiding in his shed that he doesn’t know about for a while, and then later finds out about. He eventually takes advantage of the situation and craziness ensues. Really, the movie is an overall slow burn with an unmemorable score and a sort of lazy pacing, but the climax where the creature turns the tables on the protagonists stood out to me.
Honestly, The Shed is an average slow-burn movie with an exciting climax but it also checks the box for all of the cliches used in similar movies. I feel like it unintentionally dragged on rather than used its methodical pacing to develop the characters because, honestly, I didn’t really care about any one of them. I really only cared about seeing the vampire and it kind of bummed me out having to wait a while to see in action. Despite that, the creature makeup looked good. Not great, nothing out of the ordinary or super special, but good. So, overall, a pretty average flick. 3/5 skulls for me.
Verdict: Not chopped
We hope you’ve enjoyed another blood-curdling rendition of The Chopping Block, gravers! If you’re still reeling for more Grave Discussions content, be sure to catch up on all of our podcast episodes right here.
Have you seen The Shed? Let us know what you thought about it in the comments below… should we have chopped it off at the neck instead, or did you love every bloody bit!?