Behave (2024) is a modern horror-thriller film directed by Francesco Gabriele that seeks to merge classic slasher themes with biting modern commentary on manners and social media etiquette. The film centers on a group of young adults who go to an extravagant villa outside London after suffering the untimely death of a friend.
Polly (Georgia Viero) is the over-controlling mother of Andrea (David Bournot) who plans this trip hoping it will serve as both a form of healing and a behavioral modification break for the group. Polly takes an unexpected turn by inviting Nancy Bloomfield (Stacy Thunes) over for the weekend, who is known for her TikTok fame as a social media etiquette coach. Her responsibility is to teach the group decorum and etiquette, which makes their “relaxing” weekend feel more like a rigorous regimen of social judgment and forced compliance.
This does come off somewhat as an odd social experiment, but it develops into something much more ominous. The friends, which also include Andrea, Keira (Ema Kosac), India (Lauren Pepler), Callum (Washim Abdul Gafoor), and Lily (Eleonora Bindi), are being hunted down by a mysterious killer. Gradually, they either get killed in horrific ways, or simply vanish, trapping them in the once luxurious and comforting villa which now becomes a cramped, claustrophobic death chamber.
In a sense, with tension building up, and the different sides of characters coming out, it emphasizes control and manipulation. The last chapter of the story describes a horrifying night where attempt at decorum transforms into survival skills, and the phantoms of previous deeds truly, and figuratively makes this the most chilling day, haunting.
Cast & Crew
Director: Francesco Gabriele
Screenwriters: Dan Sproson, Georgia Viero
Producers: Francesco Gabriele, Georgia Viero, Christian Vit
Cinematography: Giacomo La Monaca, whose unique set of sharp contrasts and darkened settings capture the frightening yet stylish atmosphere and forms an eerie setting.
Music Composer: Shane Rutherfoord-Jones, whose haunting score transforms the suspense throughout the film, further deepening the sense of dread accumulating.
Main Cast:
Georgia Viero as Polly — Anger inducing mother and a control freak whose overprotective nature as she attempts to control the group results in chaos, unable to bring order.
Stacy Thunes as Nancy Bloomfield — A well known influencer on etiquette, who conceals shocking secrets beneath her calm surface.
Christian Vit as Charles — The suspicious gardener whose very being deepens the already fraught atmosphere.
David Bourne as Andrea — Polly’s son, who is at her side as she ventures into the deepening circle of suspicions that surround them all.
Ema Kosac as Keira — A rational friend who, with her opinions, contrasts their too simplistic reasoning, thus having a touch of weakness.
Lauren Pepler as India — As the most enigmatic member of the group, her absence is the first sign of the awful changes taking place at the villa.
Washim Abdul Gafoor as Callum — A group member whose mocking indifference makes way for paralyzing horror as the number of victims grows.
Eleonora Bindi as Lily — Another friend in the group, whose secrets are so deeply guarded that they make her the most dangerous.
Nicolas Vaporidis as Brandon — The one who has some acquaintance with the villa’s sinister past.
Gabriel Constantin as Mr. Cunningham — The do-nothing owner of the villa, who serves as a proposition but is with horror at what the rest of the villa leads him.
Themes and Analysis
Behave seeks to critique society’s fixation on the exterior—focusing on looks, manners, and social media performance. Using horror as a lens, the film examines how social expectations, particularly those enhanced by social media, can become painfully constraining and ultimately lethal. Having an etiquette influencer in a horror environment is at once comical and representative of how the expected performance of so-called proper behavior translates to real life and personal life.
The film further explores the generational gap, especially the younger morally loose, free-spirited group of friends and the older, authoritative figure Polly. Their conflict displays the complexity of the relationships woven with control, critique, parental guidance, and adolescent defiance.
Though, the most pronounced theme is the disguise of virtue and the ugliness underneath. In this respect, the villa functions as a metaphor of the evil obscured behind morality paraded in front of other people — external sins hidden behind masquerading as internal virtue.
Visual Style and Atmosphere
Visually, Behave is inspired by classic giallo aesthetics with sharp color contrasts, elegant settings, and a touch of surrealism. Like a doll’s house, the film features the villa’s spacious interiors which become more and more claustrophobic as the plot unfolds. Depicted as warm and luxurious at the beginning, they transform into cold and suffocating as the story progresses.
La Monaca’s cinematographic choices create a palpable paranoia through tight framing and low lighting. The characters’ emotional states in conjuction with the overhanging dread is reflected in the long corridors, ornate and cold spaces, as well as the shadowy staircases.
With the use of discordant strings underscored by whispers, burnings hot of dread, Rutherfoord-Jones’ musical selection unflinchingly scorpes the addendum of jump-scares, functioning as another pillar in the construction of the film’s suspense. The sense of dread growing without needing to be spoon-fed makes his score essential to the film.
The Reception
Critics did take to differing opinions towards Behave, concurring, however, that it was negative. The blend of a social satire and a horror film was a bold move, yet critiqued for lacking in execution. Many noted the issue of balancing humor with horror and the infliction of drawn out dialogue packed scenes that did nothing to construct sufficient tension.
The third act of the film, regardless of the burst of slasher action, was critiqued for being predictable with no payoff. The characters were fascinating at first, but were described as undercooked which made their fates even more impactful for the viewer. Audiences found the twists implssible or corny as they were telegraphed too early.
Although underwhelming with its presentation, there were aesthetically appreciated comments on the dangers of performative behaviour as well as influencer culture, which make the film fresh for the genre.
Conclusion
Behave (2024) is an ambitious but unsuccessful effort to combine social satire with classic horror. The social media callout, internet hypocrisy, and issues surrounding online control were particularly interesting, with the attempt to set up subplots that try to tie everything together suffering from both sluggish pacing and willingness to yield to cliché.
Even in light of these critiques, the biting imagery and set pieces, as well as the comments within the movie that may appeal to the audience familiar with the pressures of modern culture, are certainly astonishing in style.
Horror aficionados looking for a different mythos—a slasher movie sprinkled with commentary on social media etiquette and generational clash—will appreciate watching Behave; however, the movie sets the bar high and fails to reach it as it lacks the biting effect and clever satire it tries to deliver.
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