Sick is a film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Gideon Adlon (Blockers) and Bethlehem Million (And Just Like That) star as two friends quarantine alone at an isolated family lake house, but they won't be alone for long. It was directed by John Hyams (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) and co-written by Kevin Williamson (Scream) and Katelyn Cabb. Williamson's involvement drew both Adlon and Million to the project. Via Bloody Disgusting, Adlon said:
"I want to do many things. I want to do all the genres, and if you're going to do a slasher, it should be a Kevin Williamson slasher."
Besides being able to play into how a home invasion is one of her worst fears, Adlon said that what we all experienced during COVID was also a reason. A sentiment also shared by Million, who thought it was super exciting to be part of something very real. She thinks of it as a time capsule piece. Million said:
"It was firstly Kevin Williamson. This is my first movie. To be able to work is insane, but also, this is my first time out of college. The pandemic happened while I was in my senior year, so all of this was happening very quickly. I had a lot of feelings and emotions, and I didn't know how else to get them out."
Million went on to say that the team behind Sick is legendary. Hyams was the best director to work with, Adlon's name was already attached when she auditioned, and there was so much trust in all the other creatives on the team. Million felt like if there was one thing she could do, it was this movie.
The Intensity of Sick
"I think what I loved is that Kevin Williamson and Katelyn are so good at building up this momentum in the sense of, even as an actor, no matter how many times I've read the script, every time we come in for the new scene, you see the wrench, you see the extra wrench that's added."
Besides suspense and intensity, Sick also operates on a steady incline of violence. In his review of the film, Joe Lipsett also wrote that during the never-ending attack, "the violence – often filmed in unflinching long takes – is mean and vicious." Though as Megan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting asks, "What's a home invasion slasher without a whole bunch of blood?" Adlon also said:
"Oh, the blood is so hard to get off. Sticky. Sticky as fuck. Beyond that, we weren't wearing any makeup in the film except for the blood and water. They would spray so much water on us for the sweat. I've been saying all day that slashers are the best form of therapy. Grunting and getting primal, running, crying, and screaming. You're exhausted."
Providing a hint of what's to come, Adlon also talked about how her character gets stabbed in bed and rolls off. What she does not do, however, is put on any shoes. The way Adlon saw it, there wouldn't be time to put on any shoes if there was a killer in the house. She asked Million about it and another thing that both actresses shared was that they were both adamant that they spend the whole time barefoot.
"'Do you want to be barefoot?' She went, 'Fuck, yeah. That's the only thing that makes sense.' So, we did it."