• Release year: 2023
• Director: Yusron Fuadi.
• Producers: Munandar Aji and Fani Pramuditya.
• Screenplay by: Yusron Fuadi and Anindita Suryarasmi.
• Cinematography by: Mandella Majid and Riko Prasetyo Sy.
• Music by: Pandan Purwacandra, Clemens Felix Setiyawan, and Ketut Sumerjana.

Shotgun Commentary: ingenious, inspired, surprisingly fun.

Review

The Draft! is a slasher that breaks away from the norm by making the victims self-aware. Following the tradition of films like Cabin in the Woods (2011) or The Final Girls (2015), this film departs from a classic slasher and enters the realm of pure bloody comedy. Watch at your own discretion from the 16th of February on SHUDDER.

Context

The feature, as expected from any slasher, begins with a group of young adults venturing into a remote location where creepy things are expected to happen. Naturally, they do not have any way to communicate with the outside world, and their only medium of transport is unreliable at best.

The intro of the characters is lazy, but this actually does make sense within the plot. While you are too busy wondering if a tiny and brief intro of age, name, and profession can count as an intro or not—mostly because unless you are streaming and stop to write them down, they will be completely useless and impossible to remember—you discover that their adventure is not what it seemed at all.

If you don’t want the spoiler of minute 10 of the film, do not read further. If you are an adventurous soul—or reasonable human being—who considers minute 10 still part of the intro, do go on reading.

The twist

One of the characters, the self-appointed nerd, recognises that the situation doesn’t look like a horror movie; it is a horror movie. From that moment on, the film takes a big The Final Girls twist in which the characters essentially fight against the narrative in order to survive. Unlike the 2015 movie, The Draft! is exactly that, a draft, which means the characters do have some power within the story and can actually modify or erase certain bits of it. They are not fighting an already established film but rather the imagination of a writer struggling to produce a half-decent script.

The film leans fully into the standoff between the characters and the writer, or, more accurately, between the nerdy character and the writer. The rewrites and modifications make the plot insane and completely unpredictable, yet it maintains the standards of a slasher for the most part.

There are spirits, zombies, doubletaps, Cabin in the Woods-type cliffs… everything but a floating head, really. Although there is a reference to it, a detail that goes straight to the hearts of people who, like yours truly, have come across Trinil: Kembalikan Tubuhku (2024) purely by accident but have never quite gotten over it. Or if you have stumbled upon the hundreds of floating-head horror movies that surprisingly exist.

The premise allows for as much experimentation as a filmmaker would want. From creepy mirror appearances to nonsensical decisions. Anything goes when you admit that your film is a script. You can kill whoever you want as many times as you want or bring them back for good, make anything appear or disappear, etc. As such, it is practically impossible to criticise any apparent plot hole or issue with continuity.

All in all, The Draft! is a pretty original horror comedy that stands on the shoulders of wonderful horror features. It is a great time for anyone who’s into that combo of genres and wants to have a nice time.

Thanks to SHUDDER for the early preview of the feature! The Draft! will be released on the platform on the 16th of February.

Advice to take from this movie:

• The best thing against a zombie horde is a well-stocked arsenal.
• The only thing better than one silly death is two silly deaths.
• Always hang out with a horror movie buff. Just in case.

What’s your take? Have you watched The Draft!? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀