Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Lair’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Lair’.
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Something that we don’t talk about all that often these days, is how storytelling can truly take us anywhere our imagination wants to go, and it makes sense as to why. For storytelling in its current form has evolved to become something quite powerful. Courtesy of a bevy of stories that teach us incredible life lessons and take the time to examine our world and while that does indeed make for powerful stories through and through, at times… it does remove some of the magic and majesty of storytelling. Since we aren’t seeing wonders untold on the small and silver screen, nor are they in print all that often. But with a little care and a little effort we can indeed find them and there are television shows and movies that are still working to wow us. 
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After all, there are dragons to be found on television and there are still stories that make use of stunning special effects to drop our jaws with creations and creatures that used to only exist in history books or our minds when we would stare out of the window in math class. Granted that doesn’t mean we should lament or harp upon stories that do indeed go deeper, since they offer a lot of value and people are indeed garnering so much from those types of stories now. It just means… we need to celebrate the stories that do indeed lean into imagination and concepts that are fantastical in nature and thanks to Shudder… that is something we can do right now, courtesy of a brand-new horror film that the network is now host to, The Lair. 

For this is a story that transports us back to 2017, at the height of the conflict in Afghanistan, wherein we are introduced to Captain Kate Sinclair, a Royal Air Force Pilot in the midst of a harrowing situation. For she has been shot down in hostile territory and in the process of trying to escape Taliban fighters, she stumbles on a horrifying discovery. In that, deep in the desert is a secret bunker. One that harbors Russian writing and is the home of living nightmares. For deep in its belly, are terrifying creatures, the kind that have been awakened by the conflict, forcing Kate to flee and find shelter at a nearby American combat base. One full of ragtag solders that are quickly forced to fight alongside Kate, for these monsters are hunting her and are eager to attack any other poor soul they come in contact with, and these creatures are so strong, that if this group of soldiers cannot stop them in this place, who knows what havoc they will wreak upon the world. 

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Which is a plot that at first, appears to be nothing more than standard horror stuffs. After all, a secret Soviet base filled with evil things and experiments is nothing new to the genre, nor is the hunger of the monsters that wait within. But the devil is truly in the details here. Specifically, the details regarding the origins of these fascinating monsters. Since in essence, their origins create revisionist history. The kind that offers a whole new reason for the Soviet-Afghanistan War that dominated the 1980s and why MOAB was truly dropped on that particular location in Afghanistan, and that… really does draw you into the story and demands your attention and sends your mind racing. Because just like that… history takes on new life and your mind is suddenly flush at the possibilities of what else could be out there and what other secrets are being hidden from us in our world and what’s amazing… is that the wonder of this story, doesn’t end there.
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Because not only does this movie light up the creative center of your brain, but it also takes you on quite the entertaining ride. A feat that it accomplishes by not limiting itself to one location, something that isn’t commonplace in indie horror for budgets reasons. So, seeing more of Afghanistan only adds to the depth of the story, as does the many creative and dynamic characters that also happen to populate this tale. Since the soldiers she meets are and well-written and have depth, and that gives their lives meaning in a story where their deaths should be nothing more than filler, and some of the deaths featured here… are quite powerful in nature. Courtesy of the stunning gore and violence present in this story since the monsters are fierce and twisted and stop at nothing to achieve their goals of domination and combat superiority. 

If anything, this is just… a wonderfully imaginative ride. One that you can easily lose yourself within as you are transported into a universe where nothing we know is the same and where our minds race at the possibilities, and it also doesn’t hurt that some fine acting grounds this epic story. For everyone here turns in some dynamic performances, the kind that add wonderful depth to the moment and there are definitely several standouts in this story. Such as Jamie Bamber, who steals the show as Major Roy Finch and of course… Charlotte Kirk is simply sublime as Kate Sinclair. Since she brings a vulnerability and fierceness to the role that has you rooting for her to pull through this, and her performance sells a story… that truly harkens back a different age of cinema. One that might make a comeback, courtesy of the wonder and majesty of this delightful horror feature.       

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