Christmas is usually a happy, festive time that most families look forward to. I say most because there’s also a portion of the population that
dreads the holiday and the unnecessary reunions it brings about. So, imagine that you’re begrudgingly spending Christmas with your family, only to discover that you’re walled inside the house with the people you so desperately want to get away from; with only ominous and terrifying messages appearing on the television screen as your guide to freedom and survival. That’s the gist of Await Further Instructions, the startling, suspenseful and crazy as all Hell scifi-thriller from Goldfinch Studios and Shudder Films. Written by Gavin Williams, Await Further Instructions follows The Milgram family as they find a mysterious, black mesh surrounding their house on Christmas Day. They assume it’s the work of the government, protecting them from a catastrophe, but as the television gives them tips and clues and instructions on how to survive the day (or night), it becomes clear that something else is happening right outside their door. In association with Premier Pictures and Viridian FX, the film stars Sam Gittins, Neeria Naik, Grant Masters, Abigail Cruttenden, Kris Saddler, Holly Weston and David Bradley.
Await Further Instructions is the anti-thesis of the home invasion subgenre, and a more barbaric take on The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. Instead of intruders breaking in, the villains have captured the family inside the spacious house – which grows smaller and smaller as their own claustrophobia and paranoia build. And as this happens, the family begins to turn on each other; showing that blood isn’t thicker than water, and people will turn on their relatives if it means living to see a new day. It’s sad, really, but completely based in reality and a do-able social/societal game. Christmas is the perfect holiday to converge these themes and elements into one, as its the one holiday that shoves love and togetherness down our throats. Speaking of reality, I can find some common ground with the father, who chooses to ignore the metallic wall surrounding the house and the strange messages on the television in hopes of enjoying a plentiful dinner. Same, man. Same! Any chance we’re having guinea pigs? Because it becomes obvious that that’s what The Milgram family has become – unwilling participants in a dark forces experiment. It’s all a psychological clusterfuck with danger lurking behind every “helpful” message. Trust no one. Trust nothing.
As a production, Await Further Instructions is certainly deserving of a theatrical release, which is perfect considering it is hitting movie theaters and digital markets on October 5, 2018 courtesy of Dark Sky Films. Props to producers Jack Tarling & Alan Latham, cinematographer Annika Summerson, and editor Richard Smither for their work in making Await Further Instructions look like a million bucks. The sleek camera work, top notch editing, looming background scores, and start quality performances propel this movie to new heights within the independent science fiction drama. I’d also like to congratulate director Johnny Kevorkian and production designer Niina Topp for their integral part in helping to craft and paint a world that’s turned upside down in a matter of minutes. Together, Kevorkian, Topp and Gavin Williams created a film that’s a clever mash-up of The Monsters are Due on Maple Street and The Matrix. This, however, leads to my only complaint. I was not a fan of the ending that starts around the hour and twenty minute mark, mostly due to its Matrix-like surprise plot element. It kind of killed my mood. And the needles! No needles. Ever. Still, this was fantastic and defied my expectations.
Final Score: 8 out of 10.
