Tubi Tuesday: Quadrant (2024)

Full Moon’s stylish new tech horror “Quadrant” has a unique concept and a strong leading lady, but it could do more with its short runtime.

So, what happens when you introduce Jack the Ripper’s number one fan to technology that allows them to live that life? Well, nothing good.

The use or misuse of technology in our favorite genre is a well-used trope, and I think just reading the synopsis gives you a decent handle on what will happen and how it will play out.

There isn’t really anything new here, but with it being under the Full Moon banner, you at least get a little blood.

With a brief runtime, padding, talking moments, and exposition dominate. Action is brief but well captured in both the AI and normal reality segments. The AI stuff is presented in B/W for the main part until blood is spilled. Then, it is vibrant, shocking, and deep red.

Similarly, the murders in the film’s real world are savage and played out from the victim’s perspective as we see the blade plunge and Erin covered in blood.

As soon as that first murder takes place, you can formalize how this is going to play out. It is hinted at early on. We know that Erin doesn’t have all her chairs at home, and we can take a guess that the Quadrant helmet probably isn’t all it is cracked up to be.

However, because we are fans, we will let that slide… as long as there is a payoff.

As expected, once we reach the hour mark, the tone shifts as Erin completes a physical transformation into a scarred, top-hat-wearing psychopath.

Reality blurs, and it becomes apparent that Erin is controlling the device from afar. And if you are killed in Quadrant, then you die in reality, which is something of a genre staple (Nightmare on Elm Street, Dreamscape, etc).

No surprises for what comes next as we enter the finale with Erin and Meg in the Quadrant zone, which you knew was coming just from their initial verbal sparring.

Characters Harry and Meg are just about sketched out in their scientist roles. Harry (played stiffly by Rickard Claeson) is your typical scientist; he’s all about the results at any cost, even if it means a blind eye or two to what is happening around him. Meg (Emma Reinagel, who does well with what she has to work with) seems exasperated about 85% of the time and provides common sense.

That dynamic is established very early on but never fully explored.

She recognizes the flaw in Erin’s character and that she will bring trouble to their door. It’s not established properly whether this is based on previous experience or that she is an exceptional judge of character. Either way, Harry is just not listening.

Shannon Helene Barnes, as Erin, really gets her teeth into it. She dominates her time on screen and seems to be enjoying it, too.

Shannon commits so much to her portrayal of the obsessive who now gets to live out her fantasy-made reality, mixing in coyness and power depending upon the situation, and it is a great depiction of someone who is completely unpredictable in what they will do next, even if we the audience have figured it out already.

Is it worth your time? Well, it depends on what you are looking for.

Back in my day, we had something in the UK where a mobile video shop would come around your street, and you could get five films for five quid (a little over $6 US dollars). It’s the equivalent of going diving in a bargain bin at your local big box store. You know the quality won’t be top-notch, but there’s fun to be had if you’re in the right frame of mind. That’s this movie; it’s not a knockout but still watchable, especially for Full Moon fans.

For a film with a brief run time that serves up mindless fun, you could do worse. And, with Halloween rapidly approaching, this would certainly fit comfortably in a horror movie marathon; there is a decent amount of blood.