One of the main upsides of streaming is its ability to give unpopular, forgotten, or maligned movies a new lease of life. A good example is the action-packed “Clash of the Titans” remake becoming a hit on Max 14 years after it was released to negative critical reviews. Last year, horror crossover “Freddy vs. Jason” also rose from the dead on Max, two decades after the movie first slashed its way into theaters. And now one of 2024’s worst horror movies, “The Front Room,” is storming up Max’s charts.
According to data obtained by FlixPatrol, A24’s “The Front Room” is currently the second most-watched movie on the streaming service, right behind Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2.” Directed by the Eggers Brothers, the horror-comedy tells the story of a married woman who must protect her newborn child from her wicked mother-in-law — a religious zealot who insists on imposing her values on everyone. Naturally, the elderly family member has her own ideas for how the child should be raised, and this creates some conflict.
The premise of “The Front Room” is actually quite interesting, touching on terrifying ideas fanaticism, generational torment, and parenting. Unfortunately, the movie is more interested in grossing people out for the sake of it, meaning that it’s destined to repulse most viewers. Still, it might find some fans among film buffs who appreciate challenging exploitation flicks.
Just how bad is The Front Room?
“The Front Room” is one of those movies that was seemingly designed to test viewers’ moral and physical thresholds. The wicked in-law, Solange (Kathryn Hunter), is a mean-spirited bigot who defecates all over the house and leaves her puddles of waste lying around for others to clean up. Religious extremism, racism, and poo are disgusting enough in their own right, let alone when they’re mixed together. As such, movie fans with queasy stomachs might want to avoid this one like the plague.
Despite its offensive and scatological subject matter, however, “The Front Room” is technically well-made. That’s arguably a blessing and a curse as, while the Eggers Brothers are evidently talented in their filmmaking abilities, the gross-out elements are more off-putting than appreciated. “The Front Room” sets out to challenge viewers and deserves some credit for accomplishing its desired effect, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good movie.
“The Front Room’s” 42% and 4.6 scores on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, respectively, indicates that the majority of reviewers believe that it’s a bad movie. The critical consensus agrees that it’s an unpleasant experience, though some horror fans might like it for this exact reason. Enter this one at your own risk — and bring a sick bucket.