I just walked out of 'Twisted' and honestly, I'm still trying to untangle my feelings. It's one of those movies that had me leaning forward in my seat one minute and rolling my eyes the next. The 4.5 rating on TMDb is harsh, but I get it. My main thought walking to the car was: 'That could have been so much better.' There's a solid, nasty little premise here that gets bogged down by some truly baffling choices. I'm not angry, just... disappointed, like watching a talented athlete fumble at the goal line.
🎬 Watch the Official Trailer
What's Twisted About?
The movie follows two young hustlers in NYC who run a slick scam, renting out luxury apartments they don't own to unsuspecting victims. It's a great setup for a tense thriller. Their con is going perfectly until they pick the wrong mark—a wealthy, unsettling man played by Djimon Hounsou, whose penthouse holds horrors they never bargained for. The game of cat and mouse quickly spirals into something much darker.
What Works in Twisted
- ✓ The core concept is fantastic. The rental scam felt fresh and immediately had me hooked, wondering how far they'd push it.
- ✓ Djimon Hounsou is magnetic. Even when the script lets him down, his presence is terrifying and compelling.
- ✓ The first act moves at a great clip. I was genuinely invested in seeing the scam play out and the tension build.
- ✓ Some of the practical effects in the third act are genuinely gnarly and effective, creating a few memorable, wince-inducing moments.
What Doesn't Work
- ✗ The tone is all over the place. It couldn't decide if it was a slick con-artist thriller or a gory horror, and the shift gave me whiplash.
- ✗ The two leads, Mia Healey and her co-conspirator, never felt fully developed. I didn't care enough about them to be scared *for* them.
- ✗ The 'dark secret' of the apartment felt derivative, like a patchwork of better horror movies I've seen before.
Standout Moments & Performances
There's a scene where Hounsou's character calmly serves tea to one of the scammers. The sheer, quiet menace in that moment made my skin crawl—it was all in his eyes and the too-precise way he moved. Later, there's a sequence involving a hidden room and some very wrong artwork that was visually striking and genuinely creepy. But the scene that actually made me laugh out loud (not in a good way) was a sudden, overly dramatic flashback that tried to explain Hounsou's motives. It felt like it was from a completely different, much sillier movie.
Main Cast: Djimon Hounsou, Lauren LaVera, Mia Healey, Neal McDonough, Alicia Witt
Direction, Music & Visuals
Darren Lynn Bousman's direction is competent but surprisingly anonymous here. The cinematography in the sleek apartment is good, using the cold, sterile space to create unease. The score was forgettable, which is a shame—a more distinctive sound could have glued the tonal shifts together. Performance-wise, it's a mixed bag. Hounsou is doing heavyweight lifting, and Neal McDonough and Alicia Witt are reliably good in their small roles. But Lauren LaVera feels underused, and the younger leads struggle to make their characters more than plot devices. The editing in the final act gets frantic in a way that feels messy, not thrilling.
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Who Should Watch Twisted?
If you're a die-hard fan of Djimon Hounsou and will watch him in anything, you'll find value here. Also, viewers who enjoy mid-budget, B-movie horror-thrillers and don't mind some narrative messiness in exchange for a few effective scares and a cool premise might have a decent time. It's perfect for a 'don't think too hard' Friday night rental with friends.
Who Might Want to Skip?
Anyone looking for a tight, coherent horror experience or a smart thriller about con artists should steer clear. If plot holes and jarring tone shifts ruin a movie for you, this will be a frustrating 93 minutes.
Final Verdict
My honest verdict? It's a missed opportunity. The pieces for a great, claustrophobic thriller were all there: a modern scam, a terrifying villain, a gorgeous but deadly setting. But the script couldn't stick the landing, opting for generic horror beats instead of mining the unique fear of its own setup. I wouldn't actively recommend it in theaters, but I wouldn't talk someone out of watching it on a streaming service with lowered expectations. Would I watch it again? No. But I'll probably remember that tea scene for a while.
