'The Retreat' Can't Quite Put a New Spin on Old Horror Tropes Directed by Pat Mills
Starring Tommie-Amber Pirie, Celina Sinden Published May 20, 2021 6 A sense of vulnerability is the key to any affective horror film, and this often means choosing a rural setting. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left, Children of the Corn and many others extract terror from the relatable scenario of taking city dwellers out of the familiar and into the unknowable wilds of nature — where they encounter whomever (or whatever) may call it their home. This preamble was necessary to understand why a film like Pat Mills' The Retreat can feel so disappointingly routine. Despite...