A flawed but impressive debut, “Human Resources” starts slow but ends with a bang that’ll make you hungry for more from this young director.
There’s something so satisfying about horror films centered around workplace nightmares.
Who among us can’t relate to the torture of enduring a job from hell? Even those of us who manage to secure a comfortable living at a job we actually enjoy can remember what it was like in our early careers when we had to slave away at a soul-sucking job, working for peanuts while suffering every imaginable indignity.
Thus, it’s incredibly cathartic to watch on-screen characters face nightmares even more malevolent than nasty customers or sadistic bosses. It can help us feel better about our own 9 to 5 frustrations, and it offers a great contained setting for some high-octane hijinx that tend to be wildly fun.
Some of my favorite horror movies take place in the workplace: films like Mayhem, The Belko Experiment, Pontypool, Severance, and Vampire’s Kiss (to name a few). So, I always jump at the chance to watch a new horror film set to skewer corporate America or the abject terror of customer service.
I went into Human Resources with high hopes — both because the premise sounded enticing and because it was made by a promising young talent.
Human Resources is the debut feature from up-and-coming young director Braden Swope starring Hugh McCrae, Jr., Anthony Candell, Sarah José, and Tim Misuradze.
After starting a job at a creepy hardware store, Sam Coleman (Hugh McCrae, Jr.) uncovers a shocking mystery involving a missing employee, forcing him to confront the terrifying forces that lurk just behind the walls.
Let me begin with some brutal honesty. During the film’s first half, I dreaded writing this review.
Tearing apart indie films is one of my least favorite things to do. And I was really rooting for this film, given that it was made by a nineteen-year-old first-time filmmaker. The fact that Swope was able to secure financing and distribution for his first film at such a tender age speaks volumes about the strength of his vision and his future in the industry.
However, after an impressive start with a tense and engaging cold opening that effectively set the stage for the nefarious goings-on at the failing Brooke’s Hardware Store, the film quickly faltered for me.
While I found Hugh to be a more-than-competent actor who delivered exactly what was asked of him in this role, I felt his character was underwritten and a bit one-note. He’s written to be a timid, anxious, “aw, shucks” young man who can’t seem to do anything right.
The characterization of Sam is odd from the jump.
For whatever reason, Sam can’t seem to get any job — even a minimum-wage gig. He’s so inept that he attempts to drop off his resume at a fast-food drive-in window and then panics when he’s told to come in and drop off an application.
We learn he lands his job at Brooke’s despite a woeful lack of qualifications.
(Sidenote: I’m not sure how qualified you have to be in order to work a low-skill, minimum-wage job that we’re later told is the easiest job on the planet at a store that barely gets any customers.)
He gets his job only because they are so desperate for workers to help out at the upcoming Black Friday, the day that will make or break the store’s success for the entire year.
Once Sam starts working at Brooke’s, he quickly befriends one of only two workers in the store, a disgruntled employee name Sarah (Sarah José). As their friendship blossoms, we learn that Sam is a college student who dreams of becoming a doctor. Seemingly bright and ambitious, his problem seems to lie much more in a lack of confidence than a lack of capability.
I’m sure his setup as a bumbling failure is designed to give him a more satisfying arc once things inevitably go to hell, and he has to step up in a big way. But it makes it difficult to connect with him fully early on.
Still, Sam is kind, considerate, and likable — a hero you want to root for, even if he is somewhat dull to inspire much enthusiasm.
Besides Sarah, who quickly becomes Sam’s partner in crime when there’s a mystery to be solved, there’s an irritable, mentally disabled man named Bill (Michael Kammerer). He’s at first very averse to making conversation or making friends, but he soon becomes an important — and delightful — part of the story.
Gene Knibbs (Anthony Candell) is the affable Store/Human Resources Manager who is unnervingly enthusiastic about his less-than-exciting job. His too-good-to-be-true kindness and constant cheerleading make us suspect something may be amiss. His good nature is a foil to the store owner, the crotchety Brian.
The build-up is slow, and the script flounders until it finds its footing. In fact, the first hour is a bit of a chore to get through, and impatient viewers are likely to tune out before the movie has a chance to kick into overdrive.
The dialogue feels unnatural, with meandering scenes that could have benefited greatly from tighter editing. The film runs just shy of two hours, and it would have been a much more effective outing at a lean 90 minutes.
I feared the film’s obvious budget limitations and the director’s inexperience would result in a throwaway film that squandered its potential and was immediately forgettable.
Fortunately, the ending is quite strong, and the film hits its stride after the first hour.
That’s probably too long for most viewers to wait for a film to get good, which is unfortunate because Swope really flexes his directing chops and well-developed grasp of the genre when he’s able to peel back the veneer and let the crazy out.
The latter half of the film doesn’t entirely compensate for the lacking first half, but it ends on a solid note that left me satisfied. Most importantly, Swope showcases a strong sense of style and a natural talent for making the most of a tiny budget.
I loved what he did with lighting and sound to create dread and legitimate frights in the film’s climactic conclusion.
He’s also got a gift for casting, as Human Resources boasts a small, relatively inexperienced but competent cast. These are fine actors who truly delivered when given some material they could really chew on. Again, we don’t really get to see them shine until the final act. But it’s here that we realize just how magnetic and versatile they are.
It’s far from perfect, but there’s a lot to like about this strong debut effort. Swope clearly has a promising future in the genre, and I enthusiastically look forward to seeing what he does next as he continues to hone his skills and grow as a filmmaker.
Overall Rating (Out of 5 Butterflies): 3
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