JP Nunez
As a critic and “a confirmed ghost story and horror film addict” (kudos if you get the reference), I’m pretty plugged into the horror world. I know all about what’s hitting theaters in the coming months, and I’m usually aware of the bigger indie titles before they hit VOD or streaming services. But somehow, Clawfoot slipped right past me. I hadn’t even heard of this movie before I received a press email about it, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Sure, I enjoyed the trailer, but any longtime cinema veteran knows that trailers can be deceiving. Nevertheless, I was intrigued enough that I wanted to check this film out for myself, so I requested a screener and hoped for the best.
Clawfoot was directed by Michael Day, and it stars Francesca Eastwood, Milo Gibson, Olivia Culpo, and Oliver Cooper. The movie is a darkly comedic thriller that centers around Janet, a wealthy housewife whose world gets turned upside down when she receives a very unexpected visitor. One day, a contractor named Leo shows up on her doorstep and says he has an order from her husband to remodel their bathroom and put in a clawfoot tub, but Janet knows nothing about it.
The woman is understandably wary of this shady stranger, but after a bit of bickering, she eventually lets him into the house. And as you can probably guess, that turns out to be a huge mistake. At first, the guy seems weird yet harmless, but it soon becomes clear that he has no intention of actually doing his job. He starts to antagonize Janet, and when it all becomes too much to bear, the woman decides to call her friend Tasha to help her deal with this thorny problem.
For most of its runtime, Clawfoot stands or falls largely on the strength of its two leads, Janet and Leo, and thankfully, these characters are more than up to the task. Let’s start with Leo. This man is a very smooth talker, so his mouth can get him out of almost any pickle he finds himself in. He has an answer and an explanation for everything, no matter how ridiculous it may be, and actor Milo Gibson delivers his lines with such confidence and ease that you might even believe him if he wasn’t so obviously a con man.
But Janet is completely unimpressed with the guy’s suave charm, and actress Francesca Eastwood plays the part perfectly. Everything about this woman, from her facial expressions, and the way she talks, to the way she carries herself, lets you know she’s very suspicious of the whole situation, and she wants Leo to be done and gone as soon as possible.
Those contrasting personalities make for a comedy duo-esque dynamic, with Leo being the “funny man” and Janet being the “straight man,” but it’s transposed into a slightly different key. There’s a tension underlying all this dark humor, so it’s not just amusing. It also builds a sense of mystery around Leo and his questionable operation, so it’s both an absolute blast and intriguing as hell.
On top of those great leads, Clawfoot also features some really fun side characters to help carry the load. For example, there’s Samuel, Leo’s hapless assistant, and this guy comes across as a stoner version of Charlie Kelly from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. On the other side of the equation, we have Janet’s friend Tasha, and she’s what I imagine an older, more mature valley girl would be like. As those descriptions suggest, both of these characters are pretty hilarious, so it’s no surprise that they provide some of the biggest laughs in the entire movie.
Then, when we get to the third act, Clawfoot switches gears quite a bit, and the dark humor starts to become genuinely horrific. I can’t go into specifics without spoiling the film’s surprises, but trust me, some terrible things happen in this part of the movie, and they’re a hoot and a half. It’s some of the blackest and darkest horror comedy I’ve seen all year, so to be frank, it’s probably not for everyone. But if this sounds like something you’d enjoy, I think you’re going to love the final 20-30 minutes of this film.
All that being said, I have to acknowledge that Clawfoot isn’t a perfect movie. As much as I enjoyed it, I actually had a bit of trouble getting into the story at first. Leo is so clearly a swindler that I simply didn’t believe Janet would let this guy into her house, and when it became clear that he wasn’t really doing his job, I didn’t believe she’d let him stay.
Thankfully though, I eventually came to enjoy everything else about the movie so much I stopped being bothered by its implausibility, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t warn you about it. It can be a huge turn-off if you’re not expecting it, so if you decide to check this film out, just be ready to suspend a whole lot of disbelief. It can be tough at first, but trust me, it’s more than worth it.
I ended up having a ton of fun with Clawfoot, and if you’re a fan of black-as-night humor, I think you will too. This movie has great characters brought to life by excellent performances, and the comedy will literally make you laugh out loud multiple times. Clawfoot is simply one of the best under-the-radar genre flicks I’ve seen all year, so do yourself a favor and check it out when you get the chance. You’ll be happy you did.
Clawfoot is currently available to rent digitally in the US, and it’ll be available in the UK on September 23.
