From Frankenstein to Godzilla, there have been countless movies that have told scary stories about monsters and the people who are terrified of them. There are also tons of great horror films about innocent kids who move into a haunted house or who think that there's a ghost or monster under the bed. The 2020 movie Come Play, written and directed by Jacob Chase, takes the trope of a child seeing a monster and turns it on its head, creating a totally unique story that is impossible to turn away from.
From the well-written characters to the scary moments and premise that hasn't been done before, Come Play nails a horror movie trope that has been seen many times before, and fans of the genre will love it.
Based on Jacob Chase's 2007 short film called Larry, Come Play tells the story of Oliver (Azhy Robertson), a child who is non-verbal autistic and who begins using an app on his phone called "Misunderstood Monsters." It is here that he meets Larry, a monster who "just wants a friend." Oliver is taken in by Larry and becomes very attached to him while his mother Sarah (Gillian Jacobs in a great performance) worries and wonders what's going on. There are many horror movies featuring children, but Come Play stands out because it has a sweet main character in Oliver and a couple (Sarah and her husband Marty, played by John Gallagher, Jr.) who are struggling in their relationship, which creates realistic tension.
The fact that Come Play uses the classic "kid sees a monster" trope and adds technology to the mix makes for a fascinating film. It's interesting that Oliver sees Larry through an app instead of seeing shadows in his bedroom or wondering if there's something sinister under the bed or in the closet. While Countdown is about an evil app, and there are definitely horror movies that have used technology well, Come Play combines a story about a monster and a story about a smartphone app, and it works really well. In an interview with Pop Horror, Jacob Chase said that he felt that it would be interesting to show the monster this way: "I think in a movie like this, you don’t want to show the monster too much, so you want to create the feeling that the monster could be in the room with you at all times. Using technology to play with that idea was, I thought, a fun, new way to do it."
Come Play has an incredible scene near the end of the movie that is terrifying and also emotional. Since Oliver is such a sweet kid and his family has struggled so much, audiences are invested in him and want him to be okay. The movie does a good job of showing the main characters trying to beat Larry at his own game, as Sarah tries to get rid of the electronics in their house. Unfortunately, Larry comes out of the app and is a full-formed monster, and he attempts to steal Oliver to take him to his realm.
When Larry is about to kidnap Oliver, Sarah sacrifices herself and holds Larry's hand. It's hard not to feel heartbroken when Oliver looks right at Sarah and seems to connect with her, which he couldn't do before. The movie takes the child seeing a monster trope and adds this emotional and human element, showing that the bond between a mother and child is forever, and Oliver and Sarah will be connected, no matter what.
Come Play also has something smart to say about the way that people rely on smartphones today. Instead of craving face-to-face interaction, many people spend more time on social media or texting, and it can be easy to feel like following people on Instagram feels like social interaction when there are definitely cons to this. The pull of Larry is so strong, just like it can be tough to stop checking e-mail, text messages, or refreshing a social media feed over and over again.
Larry serves as a metaphor for how easy it is to get drawn into the pull of technology and it's easy to imagine this happening to anyone. While there are great movies about technology, like Unfriended's fresh horror movie premise about teenagers chatting online and a spirit entering the conversation, Come Play does a nice job blending a family story, a child who wants a friend, and a scary app.
Come Play succeeds in telling a scary story that has a lot of feeling to it. While it's absolutely heartbreaking that Sarah is now gone, this experience does help Oliver a bit as he and his dad are now able to bond more and his dad helps him in therapy. The film shows that life has ups and downs and can be incredibly sad while allowing people to see some good in it as well, and that's a great message for a horror movie that is also unnerving and full of scares.