Voices Carry (2024) screened at the seventh Toronto International Spring of Horror & Fantasy Film Festival on April 6th, alongside two short films and one music video. 

Let’s deal with the small stuff first. James Smith’s delightful Demons in the Closet (2023) blends the nostalgia of stop-motion animated claymation with juicy, oozing gore, and tops it off with some fun sound design. Fat Camp (2021), written and directed by Sacha Pavlovic, is a crude horror-comedy spoof of Friday the 13th which trades in the teen camp counsellors for adult men looking to shed a few pounds—the humour wasn’t exactly my preferred style, but I did laugh out loud at a couple of moments and enjoyed some entertaining kills. 

Under the Lunar Shade (2024) by Dennis Lee showcases “Room for More” by Bloom, a track described by the artist as a “dark indie/alternative beat inspired by Interpol and The Neighbourhood”—very much my jam. The stylish and experimental video stars Julia Lalonde as a young woman fleeing a disjointed nightmare in the heart of suburbia. 

Now, onto our feature presentation…

Voices Carry was produced by Kyle Hytonen and is the second feature-length film by writer-director Derek Lukosius. Based on an alternate-reality version of the director’s experiences as an Airbnb host, the film takes place over a week-long booking in the basement apartment of an Ontario home.

Our protagonist is wedding photographer Henry (Chad Andrews), who has snagged the bleak and bare-bones rental for his work gig in the city. When Henry hears disturbing noises from the upper levels, home of his mysterious host Tobin, he calls the police—only to find his growing concerns completely dismissed. Determined to save Tobin’s female victim, Beth (Nicole Ratkovic), he extends his stay with the goal of finding his way into the upstairs apartment. Henry eventually rescues his damsel in distress, but the tables quickly turn and he finds himself in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. 

I was lucky enough to attend this screening with my dear friend and AOAS co-editor Joe Lipsett, who graciously agreed to dissect the feature film with me.

Valeska: Please indulge me as I point out that this film was shot on location in Hamilton (with Emilio’s Eatery in Dundas making a special cameo). I’m a new part-time Hamiltonian, so I need to show love to this underrated city! As for the film itself, I’m very impressed by what the filmmakers managed to do with a tiny budget of under $10k. 

As someone who loves to travel, I found the premise intriguing—you hear a lot about nightmare guests, but the idea of a nightmare host makes my skin crawl, especially as a woman who often travels alone (here’s a quick recommendation for fellow solo travellers). 

I was also interested in Henry’s dysfunctional dynamic with his mother and how it guides our understanding of his growth throughout the film, from meek and apparently shiftless to genuinely courageous and determined. While I appreciated the leanness of the narrative, I think fleshing this out a little would have given us more to sink our teeth into, story-wise, and perhaps deepened our emotional connection to Henry. 

Joe: I agree with your point about Henry’s mother. We learned from the Q&A that they shot nearly as much extra footage as what we saw in the finished feature, including an alternate ending featuring a character that is only seen briefly. I don’t think it would have changed a great deal about the final result, but the ending we saw didn’t feel as satisfactory if only because that relationship between family members didn’t feel fully formed.

This is actually a tough film to review without venturing into spoiler territory, but without delving into specifics, I really appreciated how it’s essentially two films in one. The first half is a nearly dialogue-free portrait of this socially isolated man who decides to be brave and bold before the back half ventures into some pretty dark places. But I thought the two halves really complemented each other and it helped to keep my interest because neither part would have sustained a feature-length run-time.

I feel the need to single out Ratkovic, who enters the film halfway through and then absolutely runs away with it. Beth is a showy role and the actress makes a meal of the character; her appearance also gives Andrews someone to play off of, which introduces more levels in his performance. Henry is a tough character because he’s relatively insulated, even introverted, and so much of the first half of the film is him reacting to sounds, getting frustrated, and peering through grates. 

When Beth appears, Henry finally gets to do more than just react and that really excited me.

Valeska: I agree, Ratkovic ate. But as a nosey introvert myself, I enjoyed Andrews’ portrayal of Henry even before their ill-fated meeting. I’d be interested to see how he did with the additional material in the deleted scenes (which are available on the film’s blu-ray, according to the producer—was unable to find a link, however!).

I agree with your assessment about the two halves of the film being separate but complementary. I think that the second half kicked in at just the right time to keep things lively and ended exactly when it needed to. Overall, Voices Carry was a decent low-budget thriller with a few interesting ideas and a fun twist, and it made for an enjoyable 80 minutes. 

But let’s get into the BIG question: will it change your feelings about staying in an Airbnb?

Joe: Considering the recent slate of horror titles focused on the horrors of short-term rentals, it’s certainly given me some pause. In the case of Voices Carry, I’d like to think that I’d react like Henry, but the reality is that I would probably just call the police (as he does) and then check out at the predetermined time (which he does not). 

Yeah, overall this worked for me. So long as folks are ready for the slower burn of the first half, it has a nice pay-off and, as you mentioned in your first section, it’s always a delight to see some homegrown horrors. Book me in for another one!

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