Chapin City Blues

It is a rare occurrence that I watch a film based on its score/soundtrack alone. Sunday was one of those rare occurrences. When I learned that Anthony Scott Burns (a.k.a. Pilotpriest) not only scored (and worked on its soundtrack alongside Electric Youth), but he also wrote and directed Come True, I knew I had to watch it.

The film stars Julia Sarah Stone (The Killing) and Landon Liboiron (Hemlock Grove) and follows a teenage runaway with a sleeping disorder who volunteers to participate in a sleep study that begins to turn her world into a nightmarish reality. The movie borrows from Jungian psychology, breaking its story up into parts as it examines the persona, the anima & the animus, the shadow, and the self. Oddly, this is not the first time Liboiron finds himself in a story that focuses on Jungian psychology as Hemlock Grove (and the book it was based on) oozed with Carl Jung.

Come True is what my friend calls a “mood movie” because you must be in the right frame of mind to watch it. Otherwise, you risk distraction and lose the plot halfway through. (Something I was guilty of during my viewing because I had to rewind the movie a lot.) But the attention it demands from you is well-worth the slow burn horror story that is unfolding.

The movie does not depend on cheap jump scares for the sake of filling its runtime with a sense of tension. The out-of-time setting does a good job on its own to heighten the creep factor, leaving one feel like they are doom-scrolling dreamcore videos on TikTok. At times, it also feels like one giant Pilotpriest/Electric Youth music video, which is not a terrible thing (especially if you like their music).

While the ending does not live up to the viewer’s expectations (at least not for me), the movie is still worth the watch. The film can be streamed on AMC+ or through Prime Video for $3.99.  

Photos: Film Grab