‘Old Man’ (2022) Review – A Gnarly, Tense And Blistering Film

Directed By: Lucky McKee

Starring: Stephen Lang, Marc Senter, Liana Wright-Mark

Plot Summary: When a lost hiker stumbles upon an erratic old man living in the woods, he could never have imagined the nightmare that awaits.

Director Lucky McKee will always hold a pretty special place for me as a horror film lover. By the time his feature film debut May came out, I was in my late teens. I naturally, and maybe naively, considered myself a pro in the genre, devouring every horror film from my local mom and pop rental store for over a decade at that point. Yet, even at that age, I could see this was a really special movie and was blown away by its originality and the technical polish for a new director, not to mention a nearly perfect blend of comedy and horror. It was among a handful of films that helped shape my sensibilities as a budding cinephile. It seems fitting that, after being away from McKee’s films for a little while, I would get the chance to check out his latest, Old Man, a film that certainly has rekindled that love of his work in a big way.

Looking back at his other works, it’s very clear that McKee is very much interested in the dark nature of people. On the rare time when his work features supernatural elements such as The Woods, it’s always anchored by a story that is painfully human. Old Man is certainly no different, taking the classic isolated one-room location during a heavy snow storm and running with it. Right away, the director keeps the audience on shaky ground, and we only get drips of information, never really knowing who to trust. Some might be put off by how stagey the film is. However, McKee uses this to his advantage as a way to really ramp up this sense of dread and claustrophobia which only builds as the movie unfolds. It will not be surprising to see some fans being disengaged by the slow burn plot. But for those willing to go on the journey, the reward is a razor-wire of suspense as it races to a haunting finale.

It’s such a shame that the Academy looks down on horror as “low-brow,” because I have no doubt that Stephen Lang would be a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination. When his character (just credited as Old Man) leaps up from a nightmare wearing a red union-suit, then rambled chaotically for his dog, I admit I was worried. Thankfully, Lang, drunk on moonshine, dances on the line of being hammy but never crosses the damn thing. With a voice like gravel and a tone as icy as the snow, Lang sways from menacing and chilling to later becoming oddly sympathetic. Only a true acting veteran can pull that off so effortlessly. It really is a masterclass of a performance, and you can see his Broadway chops come to life here. Marc Senter acts opposite Lang, and while the part isn’t as showy, the actor does truly hold his own. Both men play off one another nicely, and the end result is a beautiful and perverse kind of dance.

After the credits rolled, I was stunned by what I just witnessed, and it got me reflecting on McKee and how his films never played it entirely safe. I often wondered why, for all his extreme talents a major studio never snapped him up like others in his field such as Adam Wingard, James Wan and Leigh Whannell. But in a way, I think I should feel “lucky” that Lucky has stayed an indie director, giving us wonderfully wild trips like Old Man. Sure, there are some elements that maybe could have used a tighter polish, but I was so transfixed by it that I can easily forgive some short comings. The film is a gnarly, tense and blistering journey that re-confirms Lucky’s “Master of Horror” status!

Old Man is currently playing in select theaters and is available on Digital and On Demand courtesy of RLJE Films. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdhxdt6scTU]