Dan Abel’s review published on Letterboxd:
April 3rd, 2020. 273,880 COVID-19 cases reported and rising. 42 states have issued stay at home orders. Nearly 97% of the country is quarantined.
Parker and Mary are students who decide to take a quarantine vacation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The destination is a luxurious cabin on the shore of a lake in the middle of nowhere. Not long after settling in, a car shows up. Inside is death and it's coming for them at all costs.
Quarantine turns deadly when a killer is on the loose.
Set during the height of the pandemic, Sick catches a sizable chunk of the craziness of the time quite well but it also unloads a salvo of 2020s cringe missiles via dialogue and cheesy acting. Gideon Adlon is the exception though. Not only is she gorgeous but she does a pretty solid job at being the tough potential victim. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her work. The killer is absolutely lame giving me vibes of a cross between a much lamer Ghostface killer and a common house thief. Sort of like the Wet Bandits from Home Alone with some extra stabby attitude.
Living in New York City, I saw a lot of the craziness that went on in the months following the onset of the pandemic. This film takes all of that and sprinkles some murder on top with a plot that is every bit as ridiculous as it is hilarious. Just when you think it's taking itself serious, a cheesy scene pops off to remind you to lighten up a little. The kills are few but varied enough and GASP did I see some solid practical FX in a 2020s slasher!? A satisfying ending wraps up a film that I wanted to hate. In fact, I was about to drop a ★★½ star review and maybe even rant a little, but as I put fingers to keys I started to realize that I sort of liked this film. It's a little bloodier than your average Blumhouse flick and a lot cheesier to boot, but I actually had a fun time watching this "COVID slasher" ridiculousness.
