Entropy – Film Review

On the same day Abbey (Miranda Nieman) is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she and her girlfriend, Miranda (Hayley Sunshine), are invited to dinner by Miranda’s former self-help group to celebrate the return of their estranged friend, Scott (Scott Hale), who left to discover the origins of their practices. Throughout the night, Abbey realizes that all is not as it seems, that no one is as who they’ve portrayed themselves to be, and that Scott and the others have their own sinister methods by which they intend to heal her cancer-wracked body.

It truly seems as if my streak of watching absolutely terrible new release films this week is never going to end. I was really hoping it would end today because upon reading the synopsis of Entropy and seeing its beautiful poster, I crossed my fingers, praying that I was finally in for a devilishly creepy treat. But no. I was dead wrong. Kameron Hale‘s film is one that starts off promising as it seems to have some sort of a slow-burning build.

Usually, I absolutely adore when horror films do this because when things ultimately hit the fan, it feels so earned. For example, we all know Midsommar is a long movie. Despite the fact that it runs at two hours and twenty minutes, every single moment is purposeful. The scenes early on in the film feel like they’re burning inside of you. That film’s director Ari Aster injects unbearably haunting images in your mind, ensuring that they never leave your brain.

When executed right, slow-burning stories can leave you feeling truly haunted. Entropy only left me feeling cold and empty by the time the end credits rolled on-screen. Also, why did this film wait for the final thirty minutes to even reveal its “twist”? It’s frustrating because every single scene leading up to that moment is pointless and boring to have to get through. It would be at least something had those first forty minutes been filled with superb character development and world-building, but those two elements are nowhere to be found in Entropy.

Lead stars Miranda Nieman and Hayley Sunshine are the least of this film’s problems. As a matter of fact, they’re both quite good in their respective roles of Abbey and Miranda. Their roles command them to deliver performances that feel unhinged and confused, and they pull this off wonderfully. They definitely understood the assignment. Director Kameron Hale on the other hand? Not so much.

A good horror film should leave you feeling disturbed by the time the credits roll. Even if it’s just a little bit. It should make you feel some kind of emotion. The only emotion I felt when watching Entropy was boredom. This is Hale’s feature directorial debut, meaning that he still has his whole career ahead of him to find his groove. I’m sure he will. Every director eventually gets there. Let’s just hope that his next project is able to show the talent that I know Hale has. Fingers crossed.