Entertainment
Certified Fresh, Unrated Thriller Is A Dream Job Turned Nightmare
By Robert Scucci
| Published
As a working musician and writer, I always try to prop up my friends’ projects and dreams while we all, in solidarity, try to make a name for ourselves with our respective creative ventures. Every so often, though, we catch wind of somebody’s big break that seems just a little too good to be true, and we naturally look out for each other. This is exactly why you should always consult your cohorts when you’re made an offer you can’t refuse, but probably should. 2019’s Greenlight explores this idea in the form of a horror movie within a horror movie, demonstrating why sometimes the smartest move is proceeding with caution, even if it means walking away from your dream job.
Currently boasting a 100 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, Greenlight is one of those films that quietly made the festival circuit before landing on streaming with little fanfare. It’s a solid film, but it’s also worth noting that the Certified Fresh badge comes from just six reviews on the aggregator. In other words, the critics who sought it out are fully on its wavelength, but we’re not exactly working with a massive sample size here.
For what it’s worth, I really liked it, and I hope more people discover it if they’re into this kind of movie but simply missed this specific title.
Your Big Break Will Break You
Greenlight introduces us to Jack Archer (Chase Williamson), a struggling filmmaker dealing with a problem most up and comers know all too well. Industry figures love his short films and praise his directorial instincts, but they want his name attached to a feature-length project before taking him seriously. It’s a catch-22. They want him to make a feature, but he can’t make one of his own until he works on a legitimate production that pays enough to fund future projects. In short, in order to make a movie, he needs to make a movie.
The problem is that nobody wants to bankroll him while he’s still establishing himself, leaving Jack stuck grinding through production assistant jobs just to stay afloat. This lack of upward mobility doesn’t exactly sit well with his girlfriend Shantel’s (Evanne Friedman) parents, who see his career path as a dead end.
Out of nowhere, Jack is approached by producer Bob Moseby (Chris Browning), who offers him the opportunity of a lifetime. Almost overnight, Jack is tasked with directing a psychological thriller with a $500,000 production budget. He’s understandably ecstatic and quickly brings his friend Sam (Shane Coffey) on board to help with the project, which Bob is fully financing. It all sounds like a perfect opportunity to finally get his career off the ground.
Here’s the turn that pushes Greenlight into genuinely unhinged territory and makes it such a bloody good time. Bob admits that he hired Jack precisely because he’s desperate enough to work twice as hard for half the money. The other detail is slightly more alarming. Bob wants Damien (Victor Turpin), the film’s star, to actually die on set during the third act.
In Bob’s twisted logic, a real on-set tragedy would give the low-budget production a Brandon Lee effect, guaranteeing attention and success regardless of the film’s actual quality. To prove he’s serious, Bob shows Jack what happened to the last director who refused to play along, turning Jack’s big break into a literal life-or-death scenario.
Sometimes It’s Best To Lay Low
What makes Greenlight especially effective is the impossible position Jack finds himself in. He knows that by the time production wraps, the entire cast and crew will be emotionally wrecked, and he can’t warn anyone without putting a target on his own back. Bob Moseby always seems one step ahead, as if every conversation on the production lot is being monitored, making even private discussions feel dangerous.
As a result, Jack pushes everyone away. He lets people believe that success has gone to his head, acting erratic and abrasive while quietly trying to signal that something is deeply wrong behind the scenes.
Relationships fracture, power dynamics shift, and the largely inexperienced cast and crew assume this chaos is simply how movies are made. The tonal imbalance between what Jack is enduring and what’s happening on set gives the film its tension. He needs to finish his first feature, but he refuses to let anyone die. Speaking out feels impossible, especially when he has every reason to believe Bob would retaliate without hesitation against him or his family.
One of the film’s smartest touches is that the movie Jack is directing looks exactly like the kind of disposable direct-to-streaming horror flick you might casually throw on, which is exactly what you think you’re doing as a viewer when you hit play on Greenlight. By fully committing to its meta premise, Greenlight becomes both a sharp genre exercise and a pointed commentary on an industry that can be ruthless and unforgiving.
If you’re in the mood for a clever wink and nod wrapped in escalating dread as Jack searches for a way out without blood on his hands, Greenlight is currently streaming for free on Tubi as of this writing.