Nicely written, Knuckleball throws strikes with this quirky tale about a boy who has to figure out what tactic he has to take before he throws the next ball. Before I go any further, this is not a baseball film, it’s a Horror flick that will keep you off guard, make you wince at times and even have you cheering the protagonist on as he tries to avoid death at almost every turn. Although the plot may be a little familiar, I’ll let you know up front it resembles the movie Home Alone with a little bit of The Shining. That said, those films were hits, this one does throw some nice curves though, especially for fans of the genre. Add this to your Halloween treats if you agree.
There’s been a death in the family and Henry’s (Luca Villacis) parents, Mary (Kathleen Munroe) and Paul (Chenier Hundal), have no other option then to drop him off at Mary’s estranged father’s (Michael Ironside as Jacob) farm. It’s in a snow covered rural area, but it’s in the closest town to their departure airport and they get him to the farm in plenty of time before an expected blizzard is about to hit.
Jacob has been waiting for Henry, anxious to see what his grandson looks like in person. After the usual goodbye’s, the two settle in whereby Jacob goes over the rules; help with the chores, follow his instructions and one from his parents, to keep his cell phone charged. When Sean Dixon shows up at the farm and tells the boy his house is just beyond the woods, Jacob sends him away with words of contempt.
The story plays out from there with Jacob showing Henry how to pitch a ball properly and teaching him a few lessons in fixing the homestead. First time full feature Director Michael Peterson, does a terrific job of setting the scene, introducing his characters and visualizing the script that gets very gory and frightening at times. He shows the arc in each of his main roles with the main focus on his young hero who finds himself in a pickle. Although he gets predictable at times, the terror and fear factor are still sudden and nasty.
The cast does a very good job of carrying out the story, after all with Michael Ironside as one of your leads, that shouldn’t have been a tough task. His harsh demeanor towards Dixon early on does set up questions and it’s a trigger for what’s to come. But, the key here is acceptability since it indicates that Jacob may have a problem with this neighbor. Watching him in this film brought memories of some of his 250 movie credits.
Playing Henry is no easy task, but for only his second time on the big screen Luca Villacis does a good job. Snowed in with no means of contact with the outside world, he has to fend off an attack that becomes relentless. But, Henry is a smart kid and with knowing what is available to him on his tour around the farm by Jacob, he’s quick to respond with some very inventive ideas. Although still a pre-teen, Henry can take a lot of punishment and fight back. I like his performance and hope to see him in some future projects.
Knuckleball has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains extreme violence, language and gore. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for youngsters.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Another above average Horror flick. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Michael Ironside, Munro Chambers, Luca Villacis, Kathleen Munroe, Chenier Hundal
Directed and written by: Michael Peterson
Genre: Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains languge,
Running Time: 1 hr. 29 min.
Opening Date: October 5, 2018
Distributed by: Freestyle Digital Media
Released in: Standard
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
