Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Justin G. Dyck
Starring: Sheila McCarthy, Julian Richings, Konstantina Mantelos, Josh Cruddas,
Yannick Bisson
Meatloaf once told us he would do anything for love. But his declaration
came with a caveat - "But I won't do that!" Just what he meant by "THAT" has
been the subject of scholarly debate (okay, drunken party speculation) ever
since. THAT must have been pretty extreme, because in the same song Meatloaf
tells us he would "run right into Hell and back."
In director Justin G. Dyck's Canadian chiller, grandparents Audrey
(Sheila McCarthy) and Henry Walsh (Julian Richings) would do
anything for Jackson (Daxton William Lund), the infant grandson they lost to a fatal car crash, including going to
Hell and back. However, they find that once you enter Hell, there's no going
back.
After studying Satanic rituals with the help of creepy local devil
worshipper Ian (Josh Cruddas), and somehow acquiring an ancient book
of spells, Audrey and Henry hatch a plan to transfer the soul of Jackson
into the body of an unborn child. Henry's job as their small town's doctor
puts him in touch with some suitable candidates, and he settles on young
expectant mother Becker (Konstantina Mantelos), whom the couple abduct and imprison in
their home while they prepare the ritual that they hope will give new life
to Jackson.
The well-meaning but morally misguided couple have no idea of the dark
forces they're messing around with, and in their attempts to bring back
Jackson they unleash a variety of demons, varying from an ambidextrous man
with a suffocating plastic bag wrapped around his head to a young boy clad
in a ghost bedsheet Halloween outfit. Along with these minions of Satan,
Audrey and Helen also have to deal with more earthly threats, like the
local handyman (Yannick Bisson) who insists on clearing snow from
their drive and the police officer (Lanette Ware) investigating
Becker's disappearance.
Anything for Jackson boasts one of the year's most original
and intriguing setups, which makes it all the more disappointing that it
never quite lives up to its premise. Many of the film's issues come from
its inconsistent tone. It's a horror comedy, but the horror and comedy
never quite blend together organically. Instead we'll get one scene that
plays it straight followed by another that enters the realm of Sam
Raimi-esque "splatstick." This lack of seriousness sucks much of the
potential for suspense out of the scenario.
Dyck's film is certainly most successful when playing its premise
straight. McCarthy and Richings are veteran character actors whose faces
you'll likely recognise, but who are rarely afforded roles as meaty as
those of Audrey and Henry. They commit themselves fully here and the
strength of their performances goes a long way to making us empathise with
their actions, even if we can't condone them. The couple's loss and
heartbreak are so palpable that we really do start to ask ourselves some
ethically uncomfortable questions. Just as we gasp for Norman Bates when
Marion Crane's car seems like it may not sink in the swamp, so too do we
find ourselves worrying that Audrey and Henry might get caught.
We should really be rooting for Becker to escape her predicament, but the
movie doesn't seem half as interested in her plight as it is in that of
her abductors. A minimum of suspense or tension is generated from Becker's
haphazard attempts to extricate herself from her captivity.
Dyck's CV consists largely of TV movies, mostly of the Hallmark Christmas variety.
Anything for Jackson has the flat look of such fare, which
actually works in its favour to a degree as it cements the idea that
something very odd is going on in the middle of a perfectly nondescript
small town. Unfortunately this flatness is carried over to the film's
scare scenes, and while Anything for Jackson is innovative
in its premise, in its execution it's anything but.
