Official synopsis
At an all-boys water polo camp, a socially anxious twelve-year-old is pulled into a cruel tradition targeting an outcast with an illness they call “The Plague.” But as the lines between game and reality blur, he fears the joke might be hiding something real.
Review
Writer/director Charlie Polinger’s debut at the helm of a feature film is nothing short of spectacular. The Plague is a riveting, harrowing, mesmerizing dramatic thriller that blends beautiful cinematography with the ugliness that people — in this case, young teen and preteen boys — can have for each other.
It’s 2003, and twelve-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck) has arrived late to a water polo camp after moving from his home in Boston. He wants to fit in with the “cool kids” group, led by the evil, bullying Jake (Kayo Martin), but he is also sympathetic to the major butt of the group’s abuse, a boy named Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), who appears to be on the autism spectrum and who suffers from a skin condition. The other boys say that Eli has “the plague” and shun him, spreading the rumor that physical contact with him is contagious and will lead to physical and mental deterioration.
Ben must navigate being an outsider trying to fit in with the main group of boys while being sympathetic toward Eli. What transpires is a distressing, painful look at the horrors of adolescence that will be highly relatable — and for most viewers, quite uncomfortably so.
The Plague is a 21st century riff on themes from William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, but it offers plenty of originality and is emotionally jarring even though its plot elements are familiar. Polinger’s dialogue for the boys is realistic, and the pacing and suspense are increasingly tense. The sound design by Damian Volpe and the rest of the sound department is astonishing, adding another layer of eeriness to the proceedings. Cinematographer Steven Breckon’s work is also incredible, including fantastic underwater scenes.
Even with the top-notch direction and superb production values, the film needs excellent performances, and the ensemble cast provides that. Blunck provides a perfect combination of social awkwardness and wanting to fit in, Martin gives a devastatingly realistic portrayal of the alpha male middle-school bully, Rasmussen nails his outsider character, and Joel Edgerton gives his coach character an intriguing personality. The supporting players who portray fellow camp attendees all turn in solid work, as well.
The Plague had a highly successful film festival run in 2025, and is certain to find its way onto many lists of top 10 horror and horror-adjacent lists of 2026 after its wide release in January. You’re likely to be on edge throughout — as if the proceedings aren’t chilling enough, the fear-fare beats and creepy sound design will cause some major nail biting — but it’s a rewarding uncomfortability.
The Plague, from Independent Film Company, releases theatrically in New York and Los Angeles on December 24, 2025, and expands wide on January 2, 2026.
