Swallow
A different kind of horror
Swallow, have you seen it? If not, you should.
I recently watched the movie Swallow (2019), starring Haley Bennett and Austin Stowell, who are the leads. The writer/director Carlo Mirabella-Davis takes audiences on a wild ride as a wife, feeling stuck in her marriage and pregnant, begins to swallow inedible objects.
I want to say that I didn’t know that the main character, Hunter, has an eating disorder known as Pica Disorder. I admit, I had no clue what it was. Of course, I looked it up. Needless to say, I have been educated. According to one definition, pica Disorder is an eating disorder where a person craves something other than food. To help you understand Pica more, click the link below.
When you were a child, maybe someone dared you to eat a cigarette butt or a legit mud pie. Or vice versa. Well, this is what this movie is about. Now it is classified as a psychological thriller, but what happens is horror, in my personal opinion.
When the movie opens, everything seems peachy-sweet for Richie and Hunter Conrad, a happy couple living the dream. The husband is from a wealthy family. As his mother alludes, the wife lucked out (in my own words). But something sinister is afoot in this loving home.
You know right off that Hunter is not happy. Add her past in (I'm hushed on that), and you have a tornado of a problem. Maybe one little marble, silver tact, and a dress safety pin can make her feel better. I know what you’re thinking, Stacey—where’s the horror? Well, I’m about to tell you.
The idea is that someone can not only watch themselves swallow an object but also experience euphoria. The satisfaction felt after each purge was palpable. You know, she likes it. Who cares if it's ripping her insides up? What is it doing to her baby? Without giving too much away, one part of the movie will make you wonder if the baby is alive due to what she is and isn't eating. Eventually, I felt sorry for her.
I don’t want to give too much away. So, here is an ALT text style for y’all about Swallow.
An idyllic happy couple holding hands.
A woman with her hand behind her back with a broken flowerpot and blood.
An urge to feel textures rolling on your tongue as the sharp end of a pushpin is piercing her apple cheek.
The emotional element in the movie is there as I became upset, winced a few times, and even became angry a few times. I wanted to pull some characters through the screen and hit them with a heavy hand. The ending is a shocker. It often happens when I'm sitting there, speechless, as the credits roll. This one got me.
The cringe factor is there as you watch her swallow, and the feeling of wanting to tell her, Don’t do it (I told her, but she didn’t listen) is there. The directing is in your face as we watch innocent-eyed beauty make easy decisions while keeping the audience on their toes. The writing is on the edge of — no, it’s sitting back on comfortable cushions, knowing the main character would nibble on it like a piece of buttery popcorn. The acting is convincing and dark.
Easily 4.5/5 stars. A must-watch.
I look forward to seeing more movies like this in the future. Until then, check out Swallow, available on Hulu.
So, while waiting for my next horror movie newsletter to drop -have a scary life!
