Sick Puppy Barks Wild

Director Jay Reid made his Toronto premiere at the Revue Cinema with his first much-anticipated debut feature, Sick Puppy. The film centres on a couple who have known each other since high school, leading a very now-interesting married life. Natasha Calis plays Charlie, a former high school cheerleader now working in a vet clinic, who is waiting for her husband John to make major changes in his life. Charlie’s husband, played by Brett Geddes, is a low-key serial killer who mows lawns for a living, which sounds about right for a guy who was known as a major creep in high school. Like Buffalo Bill, he keeps his naked prey in the basement and literally treats them like a dog. After deciding to go cold turkey, Charlie is ecstatic about what the future holds for them both. Especially that John is going to take up clay pottery.

Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, as both Charlie and John encounter people that they have to contend with in this new life. Charlie bumps into her former best friend from high school, Devon, played by Julia Dyan, who reveals much information about John to the audience. Another friend from high school comes into the mix, Dale, played by Dylan Taylor, who is trying to piece together the latest murder. Hot on the trail of both Charlie and John, the audience learns that he is also just as creepy as anyone else in the film.

In addition, John has to contend with Mia, played by Rachel Boyd. She is a teenager who is trying to seduce John while he mows the lawn on her mother’s property. A zany know-it-all teenager who is just seeking attention does not bode well for John, who is trying to go cold turkey on serial killing as she fits his bill of common prey.

Sick Puppy has undoubtedly some dark, eerie Saw-like moments, but the comedic one-liners and charming sequences balance it all out. What really stands out in the film are the supporting cast who really drive out the characters in both John and Charlie. Almost like a Bonnie and Clyde duo, Calis and Geddes do show their ceiling through the supporting cast, especially those mentioned. The married couple show that they are resilient and manipulative in getting what they want despite having many skeletons in the closet.

Sick Puppy is a character-driven story about serial killers which shows a side of them that is upfront and intense but also delusional. What makes this film work is director Jay Reid’s focus on the character development of both John and Charlie. Their dynamic is laid out beautifully from beginning to end without it ever getting too sideways or off-putting. As the audience tries to guess who is the protagonist between the two or if they are both protagonists or even both antagonists for that matter, it is quite the guessing game journey throughout the film. This makes Sick Puppy quite the wild adventure that FERNTV recommends taking.

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@ferntv Toronto premiere of the film Sick Puppy from director Jay Reid at the Revue Cinema #horror #indiefilm #darkskyfilms #sickpuppy ♬ Psycho Killer (2024 Remaster) – Talking Heads