Grind

Grind

An Anticapitalist, Sharp-Witted, Wickedly Funny, and Strikingly Accurate Horror Anthology Starring Barbara Crampton

Sarah is socially awkward, her husband is about to lose his job, and she will do anything to help make ends meet. So she signs a contract with a corporation that wants her to sell hideous leggings on livestreams. She reads it the way most of us would: quickly and without paying much attention to the fine print. But then a man who looks like a second-rate American wrestler, only with an axe and murderous intentions, starts stalking her.

Benny is a courier who lives off tips. One night, he gets an unusual delivery job. He has to deliver a suspiciously leaking package. He is not allowed to look inside or show any sign of fear.

Then there’s Joel, a sensitive poet who takes a job at a strangely familiar corporation that bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain social media platform. His task? Watching videos uploaded by users. Murders, gruesome deaths, decapitations, sex with monsters. If he watches a quarter of a million videos, he might get a promotion. Maybe. The only question is whether he’ll go insane first.

“Grind” is a sharp, wickedly funny, and remarkably on-the-nose horror anthology whose stories seamlessly intertwine, with Barbara Crampton serving as the link between them. The legendary scream queen, star of “Re-Animator,” “From Beyond,” and “Suitable Flesh” (Splat!FilmFest 2023), once again proves that she earned her title not just with a powerful scream, but above all with her undeniable screen charisma. “Grind” draws on the finest traditions of ’80s and ’90s horror, but it is far more than a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It scares, entertains, and takes dead aim at a world where everything becomes a corporation and every human being another entry in an Excel spreadsheet. Even monsters have to read the fine print carefully.

Alongside Barbara Crampton, you’ll see Christopher Marquette, known from the series “Reacher” and “Barry,” the excellent Rob Huebel as a dutiful corporate foot soldier, and Jessica Van, who brings Sarah an abundance of awkward charm and wonderfully strange energy. “Grind” was co-directed by Ed Dougherty, Brea Grant, and Chelsea Stardust.