The Shed Review: A Stylish Rock-Fueled Anthem to Teenage Angst

Release date: August 27, 2020
Running time: 98 minutes

Starring: Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, Sofia Happonen

A hunter gets bitten by a vampire and runs into a shed to avoid sunlight. Coincidentally, Stan (Warren), a 17 year old high school student on probation, and his supervisor grandpa live next to it.  Stan and his grandpa discover this monster and Stan must make sure to keep his best friend Dommer (Kostro) and an old flame Roxy (Happonen) safe as the monster gets more and more anxious to leave its shaded seclusion.  

The shed has a definite sense of style, with some bold color choices and amazing music.  The colors pop off in certain scenes, from the striking wallpaper in the house (that adds a splash of color to certain scenes), to the flames of a fire in a later scene that dances as if it was alive.  And the music is just fantastic.  The Shed has a soundtrack full of punk and rock songs that will keep you tapping your feet as you avoid vampires.  The music comes on at just the right times and has such a strong sound that you can't help but enjoy it.  I definitely checked out the bands that were featured, something I normally don't do after watching a movie.  The story also contains plenty of teenage angst and drama, as you would expect from any movie set in this time.  It is amplified by the fact that this teen is an outcast in a small town, which, fueled by the fantastic soundtrack, rachets up the angst a level.  It also feels like it has some throwbacks to classic horror, an homage of sort to those styles and their slightly overacted performances.

However, the movie's performances can be hit or miss.  Some characters have exaggerated speaking styles or very dramatic line delivery, which works in some instances but feels forced in others.  And the movie is very slow to start; it feels like the movie is half over by the time we actually get to any meat in the film.  And although the film has an interesting premise, most of the movie takes place in the Shed or just next to the Shed, which also can contribute to the generally slow pace of the film.  And the pivotal showdown seems to be the result of someone just making a very bad decision.  However, this is a movie that gets better as the movie goes on.  I got used to the style of the characters and started appreciating the movie more when that happened.  And again, this film features some really great young actors and gives them a vehicle to show what they can do.  That, in and of itself, is something worth seeing.

The Shed takes fantastic music, bold style, and some great young actors and tells an unconventional monster movie filled with youthful anger and rebellion.  Stream it on Shudder August 27.

Rent it.

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