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| Shell | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Max Minghella |
| Written by | Jack Stanley |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Drew Daniels |
| Edited by | Gardner Gould |
| Music by | Eldad Guetta |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 100 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Shell is a 2024 American dark comedy horror film[2][3][4] directed by Max Minghella, written by Jack Stanley, and starring Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson, Kaia Gerber and Elizabeth Berkley.
It had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2024.
Down on her luck actress Samantha Lake (Elisabeth Moss) is invited into the ultra-glamorous world of Zoe Shannon (Kate Hudson), CEO of wellness company SHELL. When SHELL patients begin to go missing, Samantha realizes Zoe may be protecting a monstrous secret.
Writer Jack Stanley completed the first draft of the screenplay in 2018.[6] Director Max Minghella was reportedly taken by the "imaginative, quite abstract" script, even if it contained elements he didn't expect to resonate with him like body horror and bold imagery. "It wasn’t in its DNA, something that I normally associate with my taste, and yet, there was something about it that I found deeply memorable, and it really sort of stayed with me,” he stated. Minghella produced his own draft and then re-wrote it with Stanley, "evolving it into his vision of the movies he loved as a kid".[6]
In July 2020, it was announced Minghella would direct the film, from Jack Stanley's script, with Fred Berger, Brian Kavanaugh, and Alicia Van Couvering producing. HBO Max was set to produce and distribute the film.[7] However, several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the project's development.[6]
In May 2023, Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber joined the cast of the film, with Moss set to produce under her Love & Squalor Pictures banner, and HBO Max no longer attached.[8][9] Production was delayed again by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike but key cast & crew members confirmed their commitment to work on the film as soon as the strike was resolved.[6] In February 2024, Arian Moayed, Lionel Boyce, Este Haim, Ziwe Fumudoh, Peter MacNicol, Blake Lee, Dustin Milligan, Peri Gilpin and Mary Lynn Rajskub were announced to be cast in the film, when shooting had just wrapped.[10] On March 24, at the Academy Museum's special screening of Showgirls, Elizabeth Berkley announced she had recently completed a role in an undisclosed film project. The TIFF's official program, published on August 13, revealed that the movie was Shell.[1]
Principal photography began in Los Angeles on December 11, 2023 and finished on February 2, 2024, the day Elizabeth Berkley filmed her cameo in the film's opening scene.[11][10][12] Director Max Minghella described the 25-day[13] production schedule "incredibly challenging" due to the limited time available to shoot the movie.[14] Elisabeth Moss became pregnant a few months before the start of filming and told Minghella that she could no longer make the film. In order not to lose the lead actress, Minghella adapted the screenplay so that Moss could shoot the film even though she was in her fifth and sixth month of pregnancy.[15]
On August 30, 2024, director Max Minghella introduced a 35mm screening of Showgirls at Vidiots, in Los Angeles, along with actress Elizabeth Berkley. Before the screening, he presented a sneak preview of the opening sequence of Shell.[16]
Shell had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2024.[17]
The film opened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival to mixed reviews from critics, who mainly appreciated the cast, the gruesome opening scene, and the visual look of the film, but found the film's pacing problematic as its inability to find a clear direction. Many noted the similarities with Coralie Fargeat's The Substance, also on the festival lineup.
IndieWire described Fargeat's film as "better and more outrageous" than Shell, but appreciated the latter film's final twist: "When it accepts its destiny as a ‘50s-style rubber-suit sci-fi monster movie, Shell does have camp value to it." Despite "some funny moments and some eye-catching images," however, the film was criticized for not living up to the expectations offered in its "promising cold open," adding: "Shell also fancies itself body horror, but again it doesn’t commit hard enough to truly excel in that area. The cast was well-reviewed, particularly Hudson's performance ("[she] does understand the tone Minghella is aiming for") and the cameo of "perfectly cast" Ziwe.[18]
Bloody Disgusting, in a more positive review, acknowledged the apparent similarity between Shell and The Substance but pointed out that, in the end, "yet they couldn’t be further removed in just about every way." It described the film as "a vibrant, quirky tapestry of genres in paying tribute to [Minghella] cinematic loves and influences" and praised "the opening sequence, a darkly funny and suspenseful burst of body horror featuring Elizabeth Berkley [that] establishes the offbeat, playful tone straightaway." Hudson's part was considered "more interesting" and "colorful" than that of "the plucky, straight-edged heroine" Moss, and the production design by Susie Mancini was praised for "captures the vibrant, sun-soaked glamour of classic Hollywood but with a futuristic twist." [19]
The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the effectiveness of the film's creepy elements: "The body horror aspects are among the most interesting, injecting the film with a nice dose of violence." However, it criticized the superficiality of some aspects of the screenplay, such as the "skin-deep" observations about the beauty industry or the bi-dimensionality of the two leads: "Moss does her best as Samantha, but the character is so thinly written there’s not much to hold onto. [...] Hudson is having a lot of fun as Zoe, but the film keeps stopping short of making her a full-on camp villain." The bravery "in a film that’s not afraid to commit to being ugly" was appreciated, as well as the work of the cast, who "seems to genuinely be having a good time with the story."[20]
For TheWrap, the two main issues of the film were the pacing ("there’s something uniquely silly about Shell near the end, but it takes quite a while to get there") and the lack of boldness ("is merely a fine film that’s far too tame to completely pay off"). Hudson was appreciated ("every time Hudson comes into a scene, Shell gets a welcome jolt of energy") and also the ending "where it feels like the film is, finally, actually breaking out of its shell to get into some more madcap, meatier fun. […] That [the end] gets appropriately squishy and violent is a nice reward to cap off the whole thing, though this alone can’t redeem the entire affair."[21]
Screen Rant was similarly critical regarding the pacing, while appreciating the performances and technical aspects: "There are a lot of elements that work in Shell, from its stylish production design to the cast […] Still, Shell takes too long to unravel its central mystery and once it gets to the body horror it teases at the start of the film, the movie begins to pull its punches." Despite the "brutal [opening] scene that sets up the terror to come," the film “seems hesitant to lean into its nastier sensibilities […] Shell is funny and nice to look at it, but it lacks the depth or the darkness that it needs." Nevertheless, it appreciated the finale, ("a climactic monster moment that finally nails the tone the movie has been searching for"), the cast ("It's a great showcase for [Moss and Hudson], bolstered by fun supporting performances") and "a couple of really gross body horror moments." [22]
Screen International dismissed the film as "a poor imitation of Paul Verhoeven and David Cronenberg's more transgressive 1980s work" and criticized the choice of Elisabeth Moss as the lead: "The usually sure-handed Moss feels wholly miscast." The pacing of the film was particularly criticized: "It teases deeper, more sinister secrets, but takes too long to lean into its sillier parts." [23]
In a positive review, RogerEbert.com praised the movie: "The entertainment business satire elements hit the mark, the twists are solid, and Minghella harnesses a creeping sense of spiraling dread with real skill." The lead performances were also appreciated: "Elisabeth Moss puts it all out there in the leading role, working up a sparky chemistry with Kate Hudson in the picture’s Goop Gwyneth role". [24]
The Playlist recognized the self-referential nature of the film: "Shell is a breezy watch and maintains a light, playful tone throughout—the audience is meant to laugh with and at the movie,". It emphasized the nature of a film "created to be a hoot, and audiences willing to take the plunge will be rewarded." It also praised the performances and the final act that "delivers all the blood, guts, and viscera [slasher fans] could want."[25]