Rating: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5 Stars)
Released 10-04-2024
Watched 10-11-2024
Reviewed 12-12-2024
Watched on Amazon Prime
"Well, I could have told you hanging out with QB2 was gonna be weird and shifty, but thanks for having us, Cole."
"Spin the Bottle" is a supernatural thriller set in small-town Texas, where a group of teenagers finds themselves battling a deadly force after a fateful night in an abandoned house. The story kicks off when Cole (Tanner Stine) moves back to his mother Maura’s (Ali Larter) childhood home following his father’s suicide. As Cole struggles to fix up the house, he and his friends, including Kasey (Kaylee Kaneshiro), Sheriff Stanton (Justin Long), and Travis (Christopher Ammanuel), unknowingly unleash an evil spirit by playing a seemingly innocent game of Spin the Bottle. What follows is a race against time as they try to survive the horrors that ensue and uncover the house’s dark history.
The premise is a classic teen horror setup, with an eerie abandoned house, a dark backstory, and a group of curious friends who make all the wrong decisions. The film makes decent use of its small-town setting and builds tension effectively in its early scenes. However, what could have been a fast-paced, nerve-wracking horror flick suffers from uneven pacing and a bloated runtime. At nearly two hours, the movie feels unnecessarily long, with several scenes that drag on far longer than they should. A tighter edit, cutting 20-30 minutes, could have made a world of difference, sharpening the suspense and keeping the audience engaged.
The cast, led by Tanner Stine, Kaylee Kaneshiro, and Justin Long, delivers solid performances. Long, in particular, shines as Sheriff Stanton, adding some much-needed gravitas to the film. Ali Larter’s role as Maura, while limited, adds emotional depth to the story. Unfortunately, the characters themselves are not given much room to develop, which diminishes the audience’s investment in their fates.
"Spin the Bottle" does have its moments, especially when the supernatural force begins to pick off the teenagers one by one. However, the scares feel formulaic, and the film never quite reaches its full potential. It’s an enjoyable enough watch for horror fans, but don’t expect anything groundbreaking. The movie overstays its welcome, and with some tighter editing, it could have been far more effective.
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