Film Review: STOPMOTION (2023): IFC Films Presents a Terrifying Scarefest That Will Get Under the Viewer’s Skin

Stopmotion Review

Stopmotion (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Robert Morgan, written by Robin King and Robert Morgan and starring Aisling Franciosi, Stella Gonet, Tom York, Caoilinn Springall, James Swanton, Jaz Hutchins, Joshua J Parker and Bridgitta Roy.

Robert Morgan’s clever and twisted horror movie, Stopmotion, is almost as perfect as the similarly themed Black Swan. In Stopmotion, a female stop-motion animator named Ella Blake (Aisling Franciosi) finds her life slowly descending into a hell-like state as her unique visions of terror start having a frightening re-appearance in the real world. Ella’s work consumes her and her mother, Suzanne (Stella Gonet), has fallen ill and has left behind a legacy which Ella must try to live up to. What makes IFC Films’ new picture so brilliant is its relentless pacing, its unarguably original style and its tremendously successful jump scares.. This is the type of movie that you may wince at while watching but, at the same time, you’ll be unable to look away from the screen even if it’s with one eye closed and one eye open.

The major villain created by Ella in her film within the film is named The Ash Man. Ella is joined in the creation process by a mysterious, yet ambitious young girl who may or may not be real played by Caoilinn Springall. The Ash Man is a truly frightening creation that will creep the viewer out and then some. There is a heroic young stop-motion heroine character who is consistently stalked by The Ash Man whose loud knock on the door will provoke fear. The little girl working with Ella has Ella bag up a dead fox and use some of the features of the fox to intensify the fictional character of The Ash Man. The final results of the movie within the movie will knock your socks off and then some. This ride is not for the timid!

There are a number of scary sequences that could make the viewer’s heart skip a beat on more than one occasion. For me, the scene where Ella comes face-to-face with a demonic force (in a way reminiscent of the Alien films) stood out as particularly memorable. However, there is true terror when Ella injures herself and ends up in the hospital getting stitches in her leg. When she removes the stitches and her wounds open, the movie becomes almost unbearable to look at except you’ll be peeking through your fingers to see what is happening.

A love interest for Ella named Tom (Tom York) comes into the movie but he actually functions as more of a plot device than anything else. Ella is fully dedicated to her work and romance isn’t going to free her from the demons she fearlessly faces through her artistry. Soon, bodies pile up as Ella believes she is double-crossed by a friend and the tension builds with results that will frighten the viewer beyond a reasonable doubt.

Stopmotion alternates between scenes of fantasy, scenes of actuality and the movie within the movie which is the stop-motion tale that is harrowing in its excesses and absolutely spellbinding to watch. The similarities to Black Swan come in the way the film merges fantasy and reality and, also, through the presentation of the self-sacrifice one could potentially endure for one’s work.

The acting by the two female leads is first-rate. Aisling Franciosi is a treasure in one of the best female horror roles in years. She has intensity that builds as the film’s plot moves forwards until Ella becomes so obsessed with her film that her life spirals entirely out of control. As the little girl who is her partner in crime, Caoilin Springall is a revelation. Springall does this creepy little girl role to a tee. She portrays the character in such a way that she could, at times, be viewed (and heard) as the voice in Ella’s head. This girl steers Ella towards madness and there’s eventually no turning back.

Stopmotion is a movie-going experience that could give the viewer whiplash as it alternates between two different types of creepy sequences. Those within Ella’s animated film project and those that take precedence in the real world as Ella carries out her plan of vengeance against those who stand in the way of her art.

Director Robert Morgan builds tension masterfully. This film is one of the most horrifying films of the year, yet also one of the most fascinating. The direction captures all the spookiness of this tale, almost to perfection. You’ll find yourself strangely drawn to Franciosi’s character just like you may have been watching Natalie Portman in the brilliant Black Swan. Stopmotion is another distinct staple in IFC Films’ distinguished list of horror films such as We Need to Do Something and Hatching. If you enjoyed those films, Stopmotion is just your ticket.

Rating: 9/10

Leave your thoughts on this Stopmotion review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Google News, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, Flipboard, and Threads.