I saw "Sting" in a mostly empty theatre; at first, it was just me, sitting towards the front, and a random man who decided to sit in the very back row. And then, as the movie was beginning to start, something unconscionable happened: a mother and her young daughter - no older than ten years old - walked in and sat in the same row I was sitting in. I was annoyed, yes, that out of every other empty seat those two decided to sit next to me, but I was also worried - could that young girl handle this supposedly gory and rated R horror film? As the lights dimmed and the film began, I braced myself for this mother and daughter duo to hurriedly exit the theatre at the first sight of blood. So I sat, started to watch, and before I knew it, something curious happened; "Sting," advertised as a violent slasher, surprisingly evolves into a sort of coming-of-age narrative, focusing on a young girl's journey to understand herself and her place in the world amidst the complexities of the people around her. And I realized that, maybe at the end of the day, this was the perfect film for a mother and her daughter to bond over.
Alyla Browne plays Charlotte, a young girl who, upon stumbling on a small spider, decides to keep it as a pet before discovering that, the more she feeds the little guy, the bigger it grows. And, in typical horror movie fashion, the bigger the spider grows, the hungrier it gets, and the more it wants to eat. And, as the star of the show, Alyla - armed with a water gun full of mothball water - will stop at nothing to hunt the spider down, save her family, and end its rain of terror. And amidst this chaotic ordeal, she also grapples with her relationship with her mother's new boyfriend, all while her biological father remains absent. Juggling familial drama and a battle against a giant spider, Alyla's character faces double the struggle... and now can you see why I said that this film turns into a coming-of-age tale?
"Sting" is not what you're expecting; heck, it certainly wasn't what I was expecting based on the brilliant first trailer that sold an eerie, stark horror setting akin to "Evil Dead Rise." Walking into the theatre I thought for sure that I'd be treated to a gross, gory film that would really let its premise run wild. And while there is a disturbing kill in the middle of the film that almost satisfied my increasing appetite for horror violence, after watching the film to its completion, I am almost getting the feeling that the shots of violence were afterthoughts because, as a whole, "Sting" is less a horror film and more of a children's thriller. And with that said, if you can brush off any initial disappointment that you might be feeling from that, there is some charm to be found here if you're willing to look for it.
Besides the occasional bloody image, and the aforementioned death scene, "Sting" is a tame and campy little tale that mostly focuses on Charlotte's familial drama, wrapped around this back drop of an ever-growing spider. Typically, this bait and switch would have annoyed me (and in ways, it kind of did, as I was really looking forward to an explicit, violent slasher), but where "Sting" succeeds is in its performances, specifically that of Alyla Browne. I can't recall if I've seen her act in anything before, but based on her performance here I hope that she works for years to come because, man, she was unbelievably good here. Where other child actors would over act, or overreact, Alyla always acted with pinpoint precision, never becoming unbelievable or embarrassing to watch as most child actors are. She was so good, in fact, that I started to become invested in the drama, more so than the horror. I enjoyed watching the bond between Charlotte and her mother's boyfriend, and when the relationship started to struggle, I wanted to see them mend their wounds and become a true family - and that's not something I expected to feel walking into a cheesy creature feature. However, if you find yourself walking into this cheesy creature feature, too, will you get what you're looking for? If you're purely looking for spider on human violence, unfortunately, you'll leave disappointed.
As much as I enjoyed watching Alyla's performance, I was still disappointed by the lack of blood and gore; I know that might make me seem a little bloodthirsty, but, I mean, in a movie about a giant spider terrorizing people in an apartment complex, can you blame me for wanting a little bit more action? Most of the spider's kills were offscreen teases instead of onscreen blood baths, with the singular and most disturbing kill taking place (I believe) midway through the film. It's a long wait to get to it, and afterward you're never treated to anything similar unless you count one burst of blood that could easily be fit into a PG-13 movie. And due to this lack of violence and focus on Charlotte, it truly feels like "Sting" was originally going to be more of a kid's film before, and for some reason, being turned into an R-rated horror flick. I'm not sure if this is the case, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was.
At the end of the day, "Sting" isn't the slasher it advertises itself as, and honestly, it is barely a horror film. Due to the dismal audience reviews, I can see that many were led astray by the film's marketing - as was I. However, the performance of Alyla Browne managed to draw me into the plot that the film was presenting; additionally, the movie does look really good, and the spider is appropriately creepy if you are phobic, as I am. And so, "Sting" is just an average little thriller that's fun enough for a late night watch, only elevated by the strength of its actors. If it really leaned in on its premise and became a full blown slasher then I could see it becoming a cult classic. As it stands the way it is, though, I can see it becoming an introductory horror film for curious young viewers, as it may have been for the mother and her daughter who walked in during my screening.
