COUNTDOWN
US, 2019, 90 minutes, Colour.
Elizabeth Lail, Jordan Calloway, Talitha Bateman, Tichina Arnold, P.J.Byrne, Peter Facinelli.
Directed by Justin Dec.
Horror fans who watch this film may be quite – app-rehensive!
There is an increasing number of horror films which rely on the intricacies of social media, computers, phones, apps.
Young adults at a party are introduced to an app which indicates when the owner of the phone will die, having a chart on the homepage indicating how much time the owner has left. To bring home the point, a young woman finds she has very little time to live, avoids driving home with her boyfriend who has been drinking, gets out of the car. He crashes and a tree branch goes through the windscreen into the place where she might have been sitting. However, as the time comes, there is a sinister presence and she dies.
That is by way of prologue.
The main action of the film concerns Quinn, a young nurse at the hospital where the boyfriend is taken for surgery. However, he avoids the surgery and finishes up being menaced at his time of death by a sinister figure, of his girlfriend.
There are complications of the hospital, especially an arrogant doctor who harasses and molests other nurses. And, Quinn has a sister, with whom she clashes, because of the responsibility of her going out without her mother’s knowledge, her mother going out to find her and being killed by a car.
And, there are even more complications when Quinn and her sister and some friends consult a priest (an unlikely character) who tries to get some help but, with impending time limits, the death of a young man who was responsible for the death of his brother, they consult another priest (even less likely to have got through the seminary!) who fills them in on various curses and demonic characters.
What to do? Hack the phone, break the codes? Have someone die before their time and so release the others…?
This is popular stuff, American horror, building up to a climax – and, of course, for the survivors of the crisis, the automatic downloading of an update of the death app!
1. Popular horror film? Hauntings? Deaths?
2. The basic idea, the app about death, time limits, death predictions? Horror theme about the popularity of apps?
3. The opening, Courtney, the party, the game, the dares, her reluctance, the downloading of the app? The prediction of her death? Not wanting travel with her boyfriend, the crash and his death, the tree in her seat? Her going home, fears, her death?
4. The boyfriend going to the hospital, Queen and her work in the hospital, harassed by Dr Sullivan and her resistance? The beginning of her career? Learning about the app, her disbelief? The discussions about amongst the staff? The app downloading? Evan, skipping his surgery, being killed by a monstrous presence?
5. Quinn, strong character, the death of her mother, Quinn going out, deceiving her mother about the outing, Jordan and the truth? Their mother’s death? The young man, the story about his brother, the app, his death?
6. Quinn, her fears for her sister, the clashes, the blame, the reconciliation? The threat to Jordan?
7. Trying to adjust the app? The work to break the codes? Derek, friendship, hacking the codes?
8. The visit to the priest, his advice? The crisis, going to Father John? A credible priest/not? Young, comic character, advice, yet his knowing about curses and the daemon?
9. The buildup to the crisis, the threat to Jordan, the idea if somebody dies before their time, releasing the curse?
10. Dr Sullivan, his behaviour, molesting the nurses, his death?
11. Quinn, wanting to save Jordan, confronting the Demon, her mother? The attack ahead of the predicted death time – the initials on her arm, the injecting of the medical counterbalance, reviving?
12. The growing melodrama? Quinn protecting Jordan, vengeance for Dr Sullivan? The changing times, the new phones, the updated app?
13. The two sisters, with their father, visiting the grave?
14. And the continued threats and updates?
