Appendage | SXSW 2023 Film Review

Genre films are a wonderful place to explore an existential crisis or explore the psychological effects of trauma. Horror in particular affords filmmakers the ability to mask these nuanced topics under the guise of blood and practical effects. For Appendage, writer-director Anna Zlokovic aims to utilize this approach to dissect that most human of afflictions: low self-esteem.

Hannah (Hadley Robinson) is a fashion designer on the rise, but the pressure is mounting. Her boss, Cristean (Desmin Borges), demands perfection and Hannah is struggling to identify the right approach for her design. Her best friend and co-worker, Esther (Kausar Mohammed), makes a valiant attempt to uplift Hanna’s spirits, but the weight of her own deprecation is overwhelming. As Hannah’s tension increases, so does that pain surging from her birthmark.

The aforementioned discomfort materializes in the form of, you guessed it, essentially birthing a twin who shouts all the things you loathe about yourself directly in your face. It’s a vile little creature that emerges, and Hannah is forced to find a solution for this horrendous little demon whose soul you simply cannot extinguish outright (due to the technicality that it would kill Hannah also). Relief seems to come in the face of Claudia (Emily Hampshire), a fellow sufferer of a similar condition. But can Hannah ever truly cure herself?

Appendage has moments of inventive fun, and the ties to 80s creature effects make for an engaging trip through horror nostalgia. The monster is reminiscent of V: The Final Battle’s alien baby, while the plot wreaks of Basket Case. From start to finish, Ann Zlokovic’s film felt as though it were lifted directly from that seminal period in genre cinema.

Unfortunately, it is 2023, and as the film goes, those same nostalgic designs become increasingly difficult to take seriously as the film pivots into a more horrific direction. There are scenes where it is almost distracting from the setup itself as the cheesy beastie and his delivery fail to echo the more serious overtones of the film itself.

Performance wise, Robinson, Mohammed, and Hampshire all rise to the occasion and keep us invested in Hannah’s journey. As the film veers in-and-out of absurdity, the actors all understand their assignments and stay strong in their respective arcs. Though Zlokovic’s tone is uneven, the cast firmly remains the strength of the entire enterprise.

Appendage is sporadic with moments of both glee and insanely campy bizarreness. It never quite finds its footing as a whole, but there are far worse things to watch in the world of horror. At least here the filmmakers were aspiring for a topic with a bit more meat on the bone.

Listen to our full review on our SXSW 2023 episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: