Spooky season has taken over the box office lately, and with a few days left before Halloween, there are still more upcoming horror flicks for movie lovers to choose from. Netflix has added another offering for those who prefer to get their frights at home in the Sam Raimi-produced Don’t Move. The movie, which stars Yellowstone’s Kelsey Asbille, can be streamed now, and the critics are here to help you decide if this should be part of your pre-Halloween plan.
In this 2024 movie release, Kelsey Asbille plays Iris, a grieving woman who is injected with a paralytic substance by a killer portrayed by American Horror Story regular Finn Wittrock. Iris must fight her attacker and run and hide before her body completely shuts down. Tyler Nichols of JoBlo rates it a “Great” 8 out of 10, praising the lead actors for bringing the energy, which isn’t easy to do in a story about a woman who can’t move. Nichols says:
I really enjoyed my time with Don’t Move, as the story is something you really want to see through to its conclusion. The filmmakers play with the tension of any given moment and make the viewer desperate for Iris’ escape. What starts as a woman at the end of her rope, transforms into a fight for survival, desperate to escape an absolute madman. I was rooting hard for Iris and desperately wanted Richard to get his comeuppance. Which is really all you can ask for in a film like this.
Jim Vorel of Paste agrees the upcoming Netflix movie has enough energy to spare, thanks to a solid screenplay and impressive performances from Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock. The critic rates the film 7 out of 10, writing:
Don’t Move actually has the most fun in [its] middle stretches, the sequences in which Asbille has to get the most done with the least ability to emote. I feared that this premise would likely be an invitation to flesh out long stretches with flashbacks and reminiscences, but these elements are thankfully used with a generally light touch, keeping us grounded in the here and now with the character as she seeks shelter and any minor way to communicate with the slightest of expression or movement. This focus likewise ties the viewer in more effectively to the ticking clock quality of the narrative and our expectation that Iris’ mobility will slowly begin to return–but will it be in time to matter?
Not all of the critics, however, feel directors Adam Schindler and Brian Netto are as successful. Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting gives the movie just 1.5 out of 5 skulls, saying the high-concept thriller quickly proves itself to be actually pretty dull, with a milquetoast villain and paper-thin statement on grief. The critic continues:
It results in a thriller that never leaves the safety of its well-trodden path. Much like its paralyzed lead, Don’t Move is inert. A suicidal woman gets disrupted by a serial killer, only to discover a strong will to live. It’s a concept that should yield intense moments and claustrophobic tension or even catharsis for the mother coping with grief. Instead, it’s a rather bland and superficial survival thriller where survival odds never get as dangerous as they should.
Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com similarly rates Don’t Move 1.5 out of 4 stars, calling it out for “bad VFX, a hyperactive score, and an inability to craft the kind of tense mood necessary for a thriller like this to work.” Kelsey Asbille is obviously limited in what she can bring to the film, and the movie isn’t interested in digging into its villain’s psychology. Daniels writes:
Don’t Move is an abduction thriller with nothing to say. Seriously, the threadbare 93-minute two-hander contains very few cogent observations about its fractured characters or its supposed suspense. This film is simply a simulation of the genre beats you expect in a story about a man kidnapping a woman in the woods. The cloying setup also leaves much to be desired, as does the anti-climatic ending.
Shaina Weatherhead of Collider says despite an interesting premise and strong lead performances, Don’t Move features stilted “real people don’t talk like that” writing, and is ultimately so shallow it might leave you as inert as its protagonist. Weatherhead rates it a 5 out of 10, writing:
As far as Netflix thrillers go, Don't Move's creative premise keeps it from getting totally lost in the unrelenting barrage of new projects. The movie also offers an earnest, if shallow, commentary on the paralyzing nature of grief. However, if you come in with high hopes of pulse-pounding thrills or spine-chilling horror, you'll likely be underwhelmed and a little bored by this slow-moving survival story.
Critics overall seem split on whether this high-concept thriller is actually thrilling enough to be effective, and so far the film holds a 64% score on Rotten Tomatoes. If Don’t Move sounds like one that’s right up your alley, or you find yourself perusing your Netflix subscription for the best shows to binge on Netflix, you might want to give this one a try.
