‘Fresh’ Is The Imperfect Horror Film That Perfectly Shocked The World

Though Fresh has been available since March 4th, 2022, people still seem to be watching it after all this time. The hype has not died down, and it seems like you hear of another person who just watched it and needs to tell everyone about it every week. The blend of gruesome horror, comedic levity, and social commentary is certainly effective, but the answer might just lie in the nasty premise of Fresh itself. The sheer nastiness taps into the psyche in a simple way, not ever reaching the complexity or multi-tiered terror of Hereditary or Get Out yet constantly giving off a disturbing atmosphere. That’s probably why it can get away with a few shortcomings and still come across as a successfully scary film.

A woman hits it off with a seemingly perfect man, instantly connecting and bonding over throwing caution to the wind. But when he reveals that he has certain “appetites” that need to be fulfilled, it might be too late to prevent the dawning terror.

• Daisy Edgar-Jones - Noa

• Sebastian Stan - Steve

• Jonica T. Gibbs - Mollie

In recent years, Mimi Cave has directed music videos for Vance Joy, Sylvan Esso, and Danny Brown. Fresh is Cave’s directorial debut. Lauryn Kahn previously wrote the screenplay for Ibiza, the 2018 Netflix original film starring Gillian Jacobs.

The acting and direction for Fresh are quite superb, and several plot points in the first two-thirds of the film (not to mention the insane twist) subvert expectations effectively. By enacting the worst possible nightmare for someone actively dating, Fresh taps into the fear of the deception and ulterior motives of the strangers you might meet. Though the ending does not hit as sharply as it should have, the rest of the film is thoroughly affecting - no one will leave this film optimistic about the intentions of their dates.

Rating: 7/10

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Fresh is available on Hulu for streaming anytime!