When first hearing the synopsis for Escape the Field, there is a reminiscent feeling of 2020s The Hunt. Yet as you dive deeper into its core, this feeling transforms to the immersion of influences, Escape Room, Squid Games, and many others reverberating through its central narrative. Yet where many of these have found immense success within the genre, Emerson Moore‘s Escape the Field will be a film that falls quickly from memory.
The basic concept of Escape the Field is far from new — six strangers wake up in a mysterious place, left to find a way out and stay alive. And while it does try to break free of the cliches of this narrative structure, it fails to generate the intensity it needs for its audience to stay locked in.
The Premise
As Escape the Field opens, a wide camera shot takes in the extensive scape of the cornfield below, a small clearing containing a young woman named Sam (Jordan Claire Robbins). As the camera zooms in closer on its unconscious participant below, there is an eeriness as we take in both a gun beside her and a spider quietly moving across her face. As she awakens, there is an instant fear that takes over, setting the stage for Escape the Field’s confusion and direction. She is not alone for long as a stranger by the name of Tyler (Theo Rossi) makes his way through the cornfield. He too seems both disorientated and relieved to find another person.
In an instant, as they hand-feed information about the field and the items they woke up with, Escape the Field is immediately at risk of loosing its audience. There is little intrigue surrounding their mysterious predicament and little interest in who they are. As information is just doled out between them, the lack of action and movement challenges the attention of viewers.
As they decide to move forward, reluctantly joining forces to leave the field, both Sam and Tyler come across another group of individuals just as confused and suited with items of their own. And while viewers get a taste of each character’s personality, they are once again left to endure the hand-holding of information the film seems committed to. Never mind the issues with continuity — some of these characters seem to know more than they should for having just woken up there.
Rotten Corn
About 20 minutes into the film, the real danger finally presents itself, and while it does deliver a few good jump scares here and there, it fails to truly make the characters feel as though they are in mortal danger. There is also the understanding that there is no way they are all going to make it, Escape the Field further fails to present a sliver of hope to cling to. As the film progresses, the cornfield is finally understood as a corn maze, a puzzle that presents its own dangers and challenges. Yet even with the infusion of a quizzical path to follow, Escape the Field feels and falls flat.
The acting too struggles to land, much of the cast debatably struggling with the content and the context of the film. Neither is able to fully deliver its own form of intensity. While most fall to the cliches of horror personas, Theo Rossi as Tyler and Shane West as Ryan each bring their own moments that do stand out. Rossi’s Tyler seems the individual to be careful of in the first few moments, especially as one would expect the first characters to meet Sam the one to be cautious of. But he is kind, calm, and collected — Rossi retaining this differentiating element at all times. West’s Ryan is a former soldier whose PTSD resides just below the surface. And while viewers may single him out as the film’s villain, he too breaks down horror norms, fighting the dark side of horror along the way. West remains fully committed to his role, even when the script and editing let him down.
Conclusion
There is the feeling Escape the Field is desperately trying to say something, to bring a contemplative element to the table for viewers to chew on. Yet with faceless villains, unexplained twists and turns, and a bland narrative structure, it fails to come to fruition. Matched with at-times choppy editing, Escape the Field is a film you will find you need to escape from.
Have you seen Escape the Field? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Escape the Field will be released in theaters and VOD on May 6, 2022!
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