Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Strings’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Strings’.
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One thing that we can all agree upon, is that sometimes… life just gets to be too much for us to handle. Be it excessive bills or personal strife or problems at work or an outright catastrophe, one way or another, life is going to just pour it on and leave us staring at the ceiling at three in the morning while we wonder exactly how we are going to handle this overwhelming moment. In fact, it gets so bad and so terrifying at times… that our first instinct is to simply run away from it all. So, that we don’t have to deal with our problems in the slightest and can just start over fresh and see where the reset button takes us. But the vast majority of us, simply don’t do that. So, eventually… we sleep and get up and face the day and all of our problems. At least… that is what the majority of us do.
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Because some people, actually indulge in that flight response and are on the road or heading to the airport by dawn when the world overwhelms them, and they promptly find themselves far away from their problems and ready to start anew when they finally calm down and well… they always end up serving as cautionary tales. Because the reason the majority of us stand tall in the face of adversity, is because we know running won’t solve any of our problems and the folks that do run, learn that lesson the way hard. And really, the dangers of running from our problems and how our problems can overwhelm us when we do, is top of mind today, because they serve as the central themes of the new Shudder feature, The Strings.  

Now in this particular film, we meet a musician named Christine and when we catch up with her, here… she’s exhausted and on the road. Not because she’s heading to or from a gig, but because she’s running. Running from a love named Derek, running from her current situation, in the dead of winter no less and well… she seems to find peace at her final destination, her aunt’s cottage by the beach. Wherein she can take a moment and catch her breath and work on some new tunes and start over fresh. A plan that seems to be working and helping her mental health… that is until a strange shadowy presence begins to make itself known to her in the middle of night. One that can manifest its strength by moving objects around the house. Leaving Christine beside herself as she ponders upon its purpose. But she needs to hurry when it comes to figuring that out… since its actions are becoming more violent, and it won’t be long before this spirit does something quite bold.

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Which is a plot that feels akin to a ghost story that ramps up the terror in an organic and brisk manner, over a story that explores the horrors of ignoring our problems. But make no mistake about it, the latter concern is the focus and that stays front and center in this story… by way of a slow burning journey. Which means dear reader, it is time for a warning. Because some horror fans out there… don’t care for slow burning horror stories that use the character and silence and simple moments to build the terror and it does need to be known that this movie leans heavily into that device. But whether you’re a fan of it or not, this writer implores you to stay the course and hang with the silence and the simplicity. Because there is a payoff, one that is handled in a beautiful and subtle manner. 
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For Christine’s simple moments and attempts to restart her life from afar, truly makes it clear that she is running hard from her problems and not facing them in the slightest. Which means that the dark presence surrounding her, is a manifestation of her problems and a metaphor for the fact that ignoring one’s problems…. only makes things worse, and that we cannot escape them, and they will eventually grow and catch up with us. And if we continue to ignore them when they warn us of their presence… they will in fact, bring forth a disaster of epic proportions into our lives. Which is of course, expressed here via a worst-case scenario, but the point is there none the less. Making this horror film a straight up elevated horror story, one that is supremely personal in nature and supremely brilliant as well. 

Because this is a wonderful way to express and explore the movie’s message and by going the slow burning route, we really get to know the characters on a fundamental level and genuinely understand how overwhelmed and broken Christine is. Which is a testament to the quality of the script, which was written by Ryan Glover and Krista Dzialoszynski since it takes great care in the writing process to properly create those kinds of intimate and relatable moments and it also takes solid acting to bring it to life. Which means a round of applause is in order for Teagan Johnson, since she sells the frustration and the terror that Christine experiences in this story and well, in the end… this movie is definitely worth watching. Because you can never go wrong with a horror story that builds quality dread and offers meaning, and the good news is… you can see this engaging story right now, since it is available to stream on Shudder.  

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