Official synopsis: From a producer of Searching and Unfriended, Ben McKenzie (“Gotham”) and Bojana Novakovic (Birds of Prey) star in this chilling tale of horror and suspense. After a near-death drowning accident, a young boy’s family is horrified to discover he has become possessed by a legendary demon from the depths of the lake. As the family races against time to save the boy’s soul, the evil monster inside the child tears the family apart as it seeks to destroy everyone in its path.
Writer/director Pablo Absento has made a strong name for herself by crafting some gripping horror shorts based on Japanese folklore and urban legends. Her debut feature film Bloat involves a kappa, a Japanese water-based spiritual entity. Here, the creature possesses a young American boy on vacation in Japan with his mother and older brother, while the father can’t leave his military base because of trouble in the Middle East.
I’ll admit up front that I am not fond of screenlife films, horror or otherwise, and Bloat is just such an offering. Although I understand the gimmick is used here in an effort to convey the frustration of knowing one’s family is in danger far away, watching computer screens most of the time — some other cameras and devices are used as needed — comes across as unexciting as watching someone else play a video game. And although McKenzie, Novakovic, and Malcolm Fuller as the older son do their best to convey the urgency behind their family’s situation, another trapping of screenlife films is that it often feels that potential suspense is lessened because actors are performing to a camera rather than truly interacting with one another. The story itself, while admirably using the concept of a Japanese folkloric character, also suffers from following overly familiar tropes from found footage and screenlife horror.
Absento is a highly talented filmmaker, but the screenlife concept behind Bloat comes across as more of a gimmick than a thrilling way to tell a terror tale. The film is worth a watch, though, and will likely find wider appeal among screenlife and found footage aficionados.
Bloat, from Lionsgate, was released to theatres and on VOD and digital platforms on March 7th, 2025.
