The Cycle review – forensic scientist autopsies her dad in grisly psychodrama that turns supernatural

Tense story fritters away initial levels interest as generic horrors eclipse offbeat family dynamic

This gloomy-toned film takes its sweet time revealing its genre nature, emerging as a proper horror flick more than halfway in with a detailed transformation sequence. It’s the sort of showreel stuff that special effects technicians and aficionados revel in, although others might find the creature design a little plasticky, not unlike the things we see being 3D-printed elsewhere in the feature.

It’s a shame that the hardcore creature-feature stuff is a letdown because the drama leading up to it isn’t bad. We start with a forensic science expert called Meg (Deborah Ann Woll), a young woman whose shiny hair and perky professional attitude disguises a steely composure and strong stomach that’s not in the slightest bit discombobulated by all the rotting, decomposing flesh she deals with on the daily.

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