“Star Trek” veteran Anton Yelchin stars as the male lead in “Green Room” — one of the best horror films of the year. Pat (Yelchin), the lead singer of a punk band, and his bandmates are trying to make their way in the world by taking small gigs. However, things go south when he discovers the remains of a recent murder, and he comes into trouble with a gang of neo-Nazi skinheads.
The film begins with the band waking up in a field after running their van off the road, and the next 20 minutes develop the relationships between the four band members. Yelchin delivers his normal subdued performance. This character development pays off — the four feel like a true family of aspiring musicians, and their desperation for gratification is perfectly conveyed.
Patrick Stewart stars as Darcy Banker, the insidious leader of the white supremacists. Stewart forgoes his regular stoicism and instead provides the audience with a chilling performance. The character’s devilish intentions mixed with Stewart’s kind demeanor makes the actor an excellent match for the role. The audience may be jarred seeing a British man portraying a skinhead in rural America, but the performance is pitch-perfect. Viewers will either forget the actor’s origin — and his obvious accent — or they will simply be too enamored to care.
The kills are gritty. This movie doesn’t match James Wan’s “The Conjuring” or “Insidious,” but people often die in the most gruesome way possible. By the end, the survivors are scarred, battered and bloodied.
Director Jeremy Saulnier has crafted one of the best gore-fests of the 21st century. There are no jump scares, there are no loud, startling noises — this film relies on creepy imagery and tension to deliver its hair-raising thrills. Daring, gripping and incredibly fresh, “Green Room” is one of the best horror thrillers since “Halloween.”
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