Sting (Kiah Roache-Turner, 2024)
Sting is a creepy little horror movie about a giant spider who wreaks havoc in a grimy NYC apartment building.
Written and directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, it tells the story of 12-year old Charlotte (Alyla Browne), who is going through a difficult period in her life.
Her mother Heather (Penelope Mitchell) and her stepfather Ethan (Ryan Corr) are busy with their new-born baby, leaving her feeling lonely and alone.
One stormy night a tiny spider falls from the sky, and the fact that it smashes through a window lets you know right away that this is no ordinary spider.
Still, Charlotte likes spiders and takes care of the creature, who starts to grow pretty rapidly, before turning into a monster, looking for, well, food.
Sting is a good example of how you can make a limited budget go a long way. It’s dark and moody and the scare scenes concerning the spider (who is also called Sting) are pretty intense, without going completely over the top.
I think it is quite possible to interpret Charlotte’s spider as a metaphor for her loneliness, as spiders both symbolize the interconnectedness she searches, and the resilience she shows trying to save her family when Sting starts killing the apartment buildings other inhabitants.
A spider can also symbolize creativity, and that’s quite interesting as well, as budding storyteller Charlotte and artist Ethan have already collaborated on a comic book that’s about to become a mainstream publication.
Unfortunately, their collaboration has turned sour as Ethan has a habit of taking Charlotte’s ideas and twisting them round in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable - Ethan made a character that stands for Charlotte’s biological father less sympathetic than necessary, which she sees as a kind of betrayal.
As Sting slowly but surely becomes a stepfather-stepdaughter movie it all comes down to a matter of trust: what Charlotte really needs from Ethan is an honest answer to the question: can I count on you?
Note: Sting is out now in the United States and Canada. It is released in Belgium and The Netherlands next week, with countries like Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, United Kingdom and Ireland to follow over the month of May.