It tries to be a horror film, but it really is much more of a thriller
Companion is a science fiction thriller written and directed by Drew Hancock, in his first feature, released in January 2025 and starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid. The premise is that of a companion android, built to love whoever owns it, and of a weekend among friends in an isolated house, where for a while everything runs along in the most reassuring normality.
Then something baffling happens: the robot loses control and starts breaking the laws of robotics. From there the investigating and the red herrings begin, setting off one twist after another.
The film turns into a gory reality show, where whoever loses bites the dust. There is only one setting: a house in the middle of the countryside, where everybody is confined, waiting for the million-dollar prize. The space, however, is not as closed in as in many other science fiction films: I remember a film so claustrophobic that it got on my nerves.
We know perfectly well that the thriller always gets along with horror: the two genres work in synergy and together they can make a good film. But we also know that the pathos of horror cinema sometimes fades once the crime story steps in. This case is no exception either, because a few parts, however small, are mixed with elements from action films.
I do not have much to tell about this film. Great fun, good twists, while the soundtrack is fairly anonymous, when not missing altogether. It still manages to entertain, despite a few flaws.