Review by Eric Hillis
Directed by: John Berardo
Starring: Isabella Gomez, Lindsay Lavanchy, Shireen Lai, Maxwell Hamilton, Gabriella Rivera, Krystle Martin, Jack Sochet
As a kid who was regularly dragged around department stores under protest, I was always creeped out by the store mannequins. I guess it was that whole uncanny valley thing, and most unsettling of all was when I would have the misfortune of stumbling across a mannequin with a missing limb or two. Writer/director John Berardo likely had similar childhood fears, as he's centred his second feature on the inherent creepiness of mannequins.
The Mannequin opens with a flashback to the 1950s, where sleazy glamour photographer Jack Bernard (Jack Sochet) is creeping out a fashion model (Krystle Martin) with his unsubtle attempts to get her to expose more skin. While changing into a fresh outfit, the model is attacked by Jack, who places her head on the body of a mannequin.
Cut to the present day, where fashion designer Sophia (Gabriella Rivera) has rented out Jack's former studio, oblivious to its grisly history. The studio is empty save for a vintage mannequin, and Sophia soon spruces it up. A few days later Sophia's sister Liana (Isabella Gomez) swings by the studio and is horrified to find Sophia dead in a pool of blood, the police subsequently ruling her death a suicide.
After a year spent in Europe, Liana returns to Los Angeles and rents out the same studio. Her bffs Hazel (Lindsay LaVanchy) and Nadine (Shireen Lai) press her as to why she would make such a macabre decision, but neither Liana nor the film provides a clear answer (the bigger question is how such a prime piece of downtown LA real estate is still available after a year?). In the studio, Liana begins hearing unexplained footsteps. Machinery turns itself on in the middle of the night. She has a vision of her late sister. And then there's that creepy ass mannequin...
The Mannequin's title and poster might suggest a trashy movie about a mannequin coming to life, but Bernardo's film is more of a slow burn. It takes its narrative cues from J-horror, with Liana and her friends becoming infected by a curse that seems to emanate from the mannequin, one that puts them in a trance and causes them to self harm. It becomes a race to defeat the curse before they all suffer the same fate as Sophia.
In the final act it all goes a bit Devil Rides Out as Liana enlists the aid of her ex-boyfriend Peter (Maxwell Hamilton), a paranormal YouTuber who jumps at the chance to take on what appears to be a genuine evil spirit.
Bernardo is patient in his build-up, slowly teasing out the details of just what Liana is up against. There's some effectively creepy use of shallow focus, with blurry figures moving in the background of shots. Sometimes he'll have a ghost appear in the background, and by refusing to announce such moments with soundtrack stingers they become all the more effective when our eyes are allowed to naturally stumble across them. As the evil spirit in question is that of a former photographer, there's some nice use of a camera's flash to announce the spirit's arrival.
But perhaps The Mannequin's biggest strength is how it establishes its three female leads as relatable young women who genuinely give the impression that they're long time friends. Liana and co. aren't simply stereotypical skin jobs but believable women with flaws, which goes a long way to making us care about them when the threats are amped up.
