Directed by Bennet De Brabandere, Ankle Biters is an inconsistent B-movie with a fun premise and a few strong moments. Overall, it lacks in impact and consistency but holds together tenuously until the end.
Synopsis:
Sean Chase, played by Zion Forrest Lee, is a retired famous hockey star. He’s dating Laura, performed by Marianthi Evans, a widower with four young daughters. They seem genuinely in love, and Laura is a good mom.
Sean has honest intentions towards Laura and decides to ask her to marry him. Despite his friends and family protesting, he seems fine with the prospect of raising her four daughters. He invites her and the girls to a weekend at his lake house to ask for her hand.
Laura and Sean engage in consensual, rough bondage play in bed, which they record on Laura’s cell phone. Consequently, the girls discover the evidence. They misinterpret their mother’s kinky sex life with Sean as abusive. They believe Laura is in danger and take action. And these kids mean business!
Sean does his best to be a supportive stepdad figure, but it’s no use. The verdict is in as far as the girls are concerned. They are out for blood. Due to their homicidal hijinks, Sean’s life unravels before him despite his honest intentions.
Writing:
The writing in Ankle Biters is weak. The screenplay by Bennet De Brabandere doesn’t hold water, apart from the scenes with the little girls. These are truly fantastic and carry a subtle power to them. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many in the movie.
Zion Forrest Lee co-wrote the story, and his plot lacks originality. The story needed more meat to it. There should have been more to the girls’ pranks, and more screen time with these little homicidal munchkins. Instead, we get a watered-down frame job storyline, without a good hook for the viewer.
Performances:
First and foremost, the four actresses playing the daughters were fantastic. Rosalee, performed by Rosalee Reid, the psychopathic ringleader between the siblings is phenomenal. It’s obvious she only needed an excuse to release her homicidal tendencies.
Her sisters portray her minions and go along with her terrible ideas. Rosalee brings a genuine creep factor to the film that should have been capitalized on with more screen time. Lily, her sister, played by Lily Gail Reid, plays off her beautifully along with Dahlia, (Dahlia Reid), and Violet, (Violet Reid).
As four sisters in real life, these actresses have a certain chemistry and physicality that is believable within the framework of Ankle Biters. These talented gals boast the most convincing performances throughout the film.
Zion Forrest Lee carries the film, and is not bad, but perhaps inconsistent. Sometimes, he exudes goofy, comical energy. It doesn’t quite fit, as in other moments he exudes true gravitas. Admittedly, the writing is difficult to maneuver. However, it’s the inconsistency working against him, not so much the words he delivers. Bad writing is forgivable in B-horror films, but not poor execution. He should have remained committed to his tone.
Marianthi Evans as Laura is decent and she navigates the problematic script well. Matia Jackett, who plays Sean’s neighbor, “Tia” is also somewhat noteworthy. Her part is significant to the story. Overall, she does a great job.
Technical Aspects:
Ankle Biters carries an odd sound design, but it works. As the movie’s vibe sets in, it keeps the audience off-kilter in a fun way. This is a movie about evil little children, so having a funky sound design is thematically on point.
What doesn’t work is the terrible editing. It’s the worst aspect of the film, reducing the viewer’s experience drastically. There are no solid transitions, and expositional montages were weirdly timed. The climactic action sequence at the end had all the action cut out. Bad camera work robs the audience of a potentially redeeming pay-off.
Critique:
The movie gains traction once the little girls decide to launch their campaign against Sean. At this point, all other faults are forgivable. Unfortunately, Ankle Biters steers away from this devilish hook. It loses stamina as Sean becomes embroiled in the aftermath of the girls’ setup. As a result, we see less of the girls, and more of the predictable fall out of their initial pranks.
Making things worse is a disappointing ending that could have been great, were it not for the sloppy editing. For a moment, you think the film might redeem itself, but it doesn’t. This movie leaves you wanting more.
In Summary:
Conceptually fun, Ankle Biters just doesn’t stand out as a well-rounded film; even in the B-movie ranks. It’s a dalliance in potential, but an accomplishment that that turns out to be much ado about nothing. Ankle Biters is available on-demand on November 16th.
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