This has been an unfortunate break in my streak of posting. I haven’t broken a streak in a long time, but truthfully, I think a breath of air was overdue. I had run low on inspiration in the movies I was seeing over on our good friend Netflix. Flipping through the catalogue was coming up dead end after dead end. However, I’m back, and I’m more than ready. 

I’ve had my eyes on Await Further Instructions for a little while now, but I was cautious of the movie because of the obvious inspiration for its format. Saw is in this movie’s DNA, and while the Saw franchise has had its shining moments, the copycats it inspires are usually even more lackluster than the duds of the series. 

Await Further Instructions is not a Saw ripoff. Its roots are clear, certainly, but it is another fine example in my reviews of adapting an idea into a wholly new one. Await Further Instructions is a movie about a group of people trapped in a space being given instructions by a mysterious party through a screen. That is where the similarities begin and end. Await Further Instructions is simultaneously a social commentary and a Lovecraftian horror.

The social side of this movie is about the effect television has on individuals and, by proxy, society. We follow a fairly “traditional” family, white, well-to-do, with a grandparent who has come to live with them in his age. This family, aside from our protagonist, Nick, is overtly racist against Middle Eastern people, brought to light by Nick bringing his girlfriend Annji home for Christmas. It is implied as this tension continues to develop that the prejudices the family has are as a result of Nick’s grandfather’s own previous notions mixed with the sensationalism of media’s portrayal of Middle Eastern people. 

To accentuate this idea, the main conflict of the movie comes from the family being trapped within the home, given instructions by “the government” through text on their television. Nick and Annji often outright refuse to follow the orders the family is given, while the others believe in their faceless advisors outright. Believing in what the TV tells them, of course, only furthers the rift between the members of the family, until its fatal consequences come to fruition. Driving the point of television being an evil, parasitic force, the movie’s final scene is a baby staring into a screen, with more directions present.

The Lovecraftian side of Await Further Instructions lies in the television as well. The entity living in and utilizing the television is a massive being that stretches, seemingly, everywhere, consuming those who it touches once it has taken their minds. A creature such as this would be right at home in any Eldritch story, and it’s an especially horrific monster when you consider how true to life the metaphor is.

I found myself loving every moment of this movie. It is a front-to-back thriller that scratched an itch I hadn’t even realized I had. There’s a Black Mirror-esque horror to this movie that I think will suck in and encapsulate any viewer. This is only made more potent by the writers, cast, and practical effects artists creating an excellent production.

With top-tier indie production, excellent writing and characters, and a fascinating premise that cultivates in a beautifully bleak conclusion, Await Further Instructions is a worthy movie of anyone’s time. I recommend it wholeheartedly, you will not be disappointed.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

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-Vincent

© 2019 Vincent C. Russo. All Rights Reserved. This post is intended for review and constitutes fair use. These films and any images used belong to their respective owners.