Directed by Dasha Nekrasova, The Scary of Sixty-First is a film that depicts what happens when two women move into an apartment rumoured to have been used by Jeffree Epstein and his sex trafficking ring. After brushing off a dodgy and suspicious realty agent, Noelle and Addie move into their brand new apartment and soon begin to experience strange and perverse occurrences which lead to them uncovering the twisted and sick secrets of the sexual abuser Epstein.
Through the persuasion of a mysterious girl who insists she is there to investigate the apartment, Noelle descends deeper into the ever-enveloping world of conspiracy theories, which distracts her from Addie who has seemingly become possessed by one of Epstein’s young teenage victims.
…according to the filmmakers on the Blu-ray’s extra features, their intent was to highlight the atrocities committed upon the victims by Epstein, the argument of intention versus reception comes into question.
Horror movies have always been a medium through which topical societal events are explored through the lens of terror and the seemingly impossible, oftentimes creating controversy in their wake. The Scary of Sixty-First absolutely intentionally inflicts controversy on its audiences, and whilst one would think a horror film exploring the undeniable and untouchable power of the rich and connected would be the ideal channel for this subject, unfortunately, The Scary of Sixty-First falls awkwardly short of this expectation.
With heavy influences from Stanley Kubrick and, ironically, Roman Polanski, The Scary of Sixty-First is visually, a fantastic throwback to the era of retro apartment horror. However, at times, the film feels a little bit exploitative and tone-deaf. Whereas, according to the filmmakers on the Blu-ray’s extra features, their intent was to highlight the atrocities committed upon the victims by Epstein, the argument of intention versus reception comes into question. With the feeling of making shocking art for art’s sake, the subject matter is at times almost like a piss-take, especially when the theme of Epstein being part of a satanic cult comes into the formula. Do we really need a film where the despicable actions of sexual abusers are brushed off as the fault of Satan and his followers, or should this have been a film that held Epstein and others like him accountable?
The Scary of Sixty-First is on limited edition Blu-ray 3 October from Fractured Visions
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