As a kid, I used to envy my neighbor across the street for her cool dad who custom-built realistic Halloween decorations and elaborate, standing monsters. I can only imagine how jealous I would have been of Caity (Chiara Aurelia), whose young-at-heart father, Paul (Morgan Spector), created an entire haunted park. However, it’s hard to know what’s going on with families beneath the surface. From the opening dedication, “for my dad,” and a brief home video before the credits roll, it is clear writer/director Lindsay Calleran is telling a story rooted in her own experience. Caity manages to find a balance between celebrating a tender father-daughter bond and exposing the devastating toll substance abuse relapse takes on loved ones.
According to a 1998 study published in Archives of General Psychiatry, children of individuals with substance use disorders may be up to eight times more likely to struggle with addiction themselves. With that in mind, it is no surprise that 16-year-old Caity exhibits early warning signs of her own struggles, while refusing to acknowledge that her father has lost his grip on sobriety.
Aurelia continues to prove herself one of the most compelling young performers working today. At just 23, she has already tackled challenging material involving rape, sex trafficking, and now substance abuse. Her ability to authentically emote is on another level, and she is ultimately what elevates the material. As Paul’s longtime second-in-command, a position earned largely through sheer longevity, Todd (Zach Cherry) becomes an invaluable source of support for Caity, whether she welcomes it or not. Patient and good-natured, he allows her misdirected insults to roll off his shoulders. Cherry balances the role’s humor and emotional weight with ease.
World-building surrounding the Clark Family Haunt is so well done that one wishes it existed in real life. Cinematography is uniquely creative and quintessentially indie in nature. Split screen is almost overused, but the execution feels unlike anything seen before. Smaller squares zoom in on facial expressions and are overlaid onto larger scenes, while fractured frames, glitches, and sudden flashes of black depict an intoxicated character fading in and out of consciousness.
Flashbacks to happier father-daughter home videos serve as transitions between days. Though these sequences eventually become repetitive, they effectively place the audience in Caity’s mindset as she clings to her fondest memories from before things fell apart. The decision to end without resolution is a powerful one. Addiction is not something that can be neatly cured; for many, sobriety is a lifelong struggle, and the film wisely refuses to suggest otherwise.
Pick out your Halloween costume and pay a visit to the Clark Family Haunt when Caity premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday, June 7.
