Supernatural Horror meets Immigration Nightmares
Introduction
I am scared of many things, but never in my right mind did I ever think someone would actually try and frighten me with a box, but No One Gets Out Alive, a 2021 horror film directed by Santiago Menghini, decides to test that theory to a complicated level of results. Based on a book of the same name written by Adam Neville and distributed by Netflix, No One Gets Out Alive has a lot of build-up for an otherwise unsatisfying reveal.
Setting and Plot
Set in Cleveland, we follow Ambar (portrayed by Cristina Rodlo), an undocumented Mexican immigrant with dreams of settling in the land of opportunity after the death of her sick mother. However, little did she know that the boarding house that she was living in would be a haunted death trap.
To jump-start her quest to make something of herself and live a reasonably decent life, Ambar must be able to qualify for an interview that her distant cousin(Portrayed by David Berrera) can set up for her. However, to get the position, she would need some form of American Identification, which she does not have. Therefore she is forced to work in a sweatshop until she earns enough money to purchase a fake one from her colleague, Kinsi(portrayed by Moronle Akinola).
As for the horror itself, No One Gets Out Alive spends most of its time trying to scare me with a stone box and a collection of very passive-looking ghosts who look like they are patiently waiting for their seats at the communal dinner table. The film has a strong opening with one of these spectres stalking a tenant before unexpectedly dragging her into the darkness. From then onwards, the ghosts just stand there, bored out of their freaking incorporeal minds, probably going over the expiration dates of their contracts with their reluctant property owner, Red.
While the film’s presentation does its best to keep the viewer feeling tense despite its fair budget, the final part is where everything falls apart. The cause of the hauntings looks like a rejected Dark Souls boss. However, the build-up to this beast was incredible, yet it is a shame that they botched the landing.
Most of the film’s horror comes from its environment, and the run-down victorian boarding house does most of the work on its own. Santiago uses the place to his advantage, building on its already disturbing presence with the standard flickering of lights and some twisted illusions to keep you on the edge of your seat. While it is understandable that Ambar is struggling to find a roof over her head, the guest house raises several red flags from its appearance alone. At its best, you could mistake the premises for a crack house with the building’s dilapidated structure, inaccessible rooms, and lack of actual guests, which begs to question of why anyone would live there willingly is beyond me.
That said, Ambar was an illegal immigrant with very few options, forced to be exploited or tricked by low lives. However, her naivety and impatience also get the better of her, so when she saw that dump with the low rent, she jumped on it.
Characters and Performances
It looks like Ambar is doing everything out of a constant sense of desperation which is more or less clouding her judgement, or she is an absolute idiot. The most baffling of her decisions is trusting her shifty colleague over her estranged cousin, who looks like he would gladly fix something up. Well, at least she does recognise that there is an evil lurking inside the guest house early on and tries to get out of dodge before shit hits the fan.
Don’t get me wrong. Rodlo‘s acting was convincing, and I would even go as far as saying that her performance was decent, but the script made it difficult to believe this character. Her portrayal as an illegal immigrant terrified of her residence and the world outside if she found out is almost heartwrenching. The movie does an excellent job of characterising Ambar as a woman who wants to build herself up in America by getting a degree in business management. However, the many systems that strangle our protagonists represent the difficulties that immigrants face when crossing borders.
Marc Menchaca‘s portrayal of Red, the owner of the haunted establishment, looks like the type of guy who just wants to leave. This man has seen some really messed up things and knows what is going on, along with the position he plays in all of it. However, due to some screwed-up sense of responsibility, he chooses to stay.
Conclusion
No One Gets Out Alive starts out nicely, embracing the haunting atmosphere that the wrecked guest house has going for it but fails to capitalise on that during its final scenes. Don’t get me wrong, the narrative is clearly intriguing and had the potential to be so much more, which is a compliment to both Neville’s storytelling and Santiago’s directing. Even the acting is well-done, as I did feel invested in Ambar’s plight throughout the movie. However, the conclusion is just too underwhelming to borderline stupid for me to take seriously.
If you are into horror films with a bit of social commentary sprinkled on the side, why not check out Jordan Peele’s Get Out(Apple TV) or Ari Aster’s folk horror movie, Midsommar(Netflix)?
