"Sketch" is a new family film released by Angel Studios. Its genre-bending style will likely surprise those familiar with Angel Studios' usual offerings.
This isn't a faith-based film. The film flirts with multiple genres, including fantasy and horror. However, I use "horror" relatively lightly. The spooky happenings in this movie are more Goosebumps than the bloody carnage of Saw, or even Jaws. Indeed, there's barely any bloodletting at all in the entirety of the film. And the spookiness present is diluted somewhat by the nature of the "monsters" themselves.
Sketch follows a family grieving the loss of their young matriarch. Taylor Wyatt (Tony Hale) has found himself unable to talk much about his deceased wife, while his young children, Amber and Jack, process their grief in their own ways. Amber has drawn out her monstrous and often violent fantasies in a notebook. When the notebook ends up dropped into a magical stream, the drawings in the book come to life, in all of their crayon-drawn glory. The premise is a bit absurd on its face, but that's also what makes it unique. The goofy-looking monsters allow for the special effects to look goofy and amateur as well, because we're dealing with monsters made out of crayons and chalk--and glitter. While the "eyders" (spiders whose bodies are a creepy eyeball) are spooky and some of the monsters a bit unnerving, their reign of terror feels a lot more grounded than your standard monster flick.
While the film effectively balances tension, there's also plenty of comedy involved, usually of the deadpan one-liner variety. The tonal balance of the film is a tad awkward in the earlier scenes, but it begins to find its footing as we progress through the second act.
Films about kids processing grief over the death of a parent are a Hollywood staple. The thematic approach here may be a bit on the nose, but at the same time, it works within the context of the film. And there's some important substance to the whole thing that I appreciated.
Performance-wise, the kids steal the show with the humor, as mentioned earlier. The adults are fine as well, although they may feel a bit overshadowed by the young ones. Fair enough, as this feels geared more toward a preteen audience. Like I mentioned earlier, this feels akin to a Goosebumps-type "kids' horror" in execution. While there are often threats of more gory violence stated rather bluntly, the actual carnage in this film is kept mainly to monsters exploding into colorful puffs. The film's adventure and fantasy threads begin to overtake the actual horror in the final act, and pull off a satisfying conclusion.
There's enough here to keep parents entertained while still mainly in the PG-realm content-wise. There were many times the story felt like it could jump with both feet into PG-13 or R-rated territory had it been a more mainstream production. But, even if this film wasn't made to be released on a faith-based platform, Angel Studios ultimately approved releasing it. So parents won't have too much to worry about. While its tonal juggling may be off-putting to some, Sketch is a surprisingly wholesome and fun "scary story" that older kids can enjoy with their families.
J.J. Francesco is a longtime contributor to the NRT Staff. He's published the novel 'Because of Austin' and regularly seeks new ways to engage faith, life, and community. His new novel, 'When Miracles Can Dream,' is out NOW!
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