The Seattle International Film Festival kicked off this week, and I had the opportunity to get a look at a title that has been on my radar since people started buzzing about it at Fantastic Fest. Jonas Govaerts’ Belgian horror CUB is a solid and unapologetically brutal film.
The story follows a Cub Scout troop setting out into the wilderness for their annual camping trip. And it's nothing like any of us did when we were "camping" at the tender age of 12. Their camp is more on par with a World War I Army base than anything I ever did in my short (and admittedly, half-assed) time as a Girl Scout. After the latrine is dug and the tent is erected (including the finding and carving of long sticks to make the structure), the troop settles in for their first night.
Sam (Maurice Luijten) is the scout that sticks out as something of an outsider in the group. Not exactly the nerdy weakling, but certainly the scout that isn't quite able to cut it. Always late, never quite on top of things, he is the one routinely singled out and ridiculed for his lackluster performance and his general inability to fit in with the rest of the pack.
He is also the first of the group to realize that something isn't quite right once they settle in. Items go missing from the camp and something seems to be watching them from the protective cover of the nearby trees and setting wickedly elaborate traps in the forest. He becomes convinced that the campfire story of a werewolf boy has come to life and is stalking the troop. But naturally, Sam being Sam, is also the least likely to be believed when he starts trying to warn his companions of impending danger, and nobody realizes the truth until it is too late.
On the surface, it seems like a pretty cut and dry concept, but the fascinating thing about CUB is just how unexpectedly dark it gets. While it certainly never presents itself as an outright comedy, the film does start out on a much lighter note than what eventually transpires, as the scout troop heads off on their adventure. Spirits are high, good-natured insults are thrown, and the film seems to be preparing for a much more batshit crazy vibe than the sinister plot that actually develops over the course of the story.
This is partly due to the fact that this story is about a group of kids. A movie centering on children gives the audience a perceived safety net, and this film tears that net to pieces. CUB takes the "children in peril" story and uses the audience expectations to its full advantage. Just because a Cub Scout troop is at the center of this movie, that won't keep things from getting nasty when the time comes. And CUB and be full-on brutal when the mood strikes.
But the film’s greatest strength is in the way it gradually builds to that level of darkness. Its menacing tone grows slowly over the course of the story, and by the time we reach the finale, it is horrifyingly dark and unrelenting. You’re never quite prepared for the direction it takes, and that is part of its strength. CUB is harsh, but also a ton of bloody fun. The various turns the plot takes can be difficult to embrace, which makes it all the more unsettling. A fascinating horror film with plenty to offer.
