Welcome to Knockout Horror. We are taking a break from our K-O-Ween 31 Days of Halloween feature to bring you a review of a new movie. Don’t get too excited, though, it’s a Tubi Original.
On a sidenote, if you have arrived here looking for a Sorry, Charlie ending explained article that goes way too in depth about the movie and about the “true story” that Sorry, Charlie is based on. You are in luck. Click right here to check out our Sorry, Charlie Ending Explained article but be warned, it contains spoilers.
Another Tubi Original
Sorry, Charlie follows the story of a notorious sex pest, and occasional murderer, depending on his mood, called the Gentleman. Luring unsuspecting women out of their houses using a recording of a crying baby. The gentleman pounces. A woman called Charlie who works on a remote helpline begins hearing crying outside of her house. Believing it may be the notorious killer, she sets about proving everyone who doubts her wrong.
This is another Tubi horror movie that claims to be based on true events. This is, for the most part, bullshit. I go into it in my Sorry, Charlie Ending Explained article so check that out for the real story. Suffice to say, “Sorry, Charlie” is basically spinning something that is little more than an urban myth into a “true story” for the sake of entertainment.
The problem with that is it’s just not very scary. The concept could work quite well, I suppose, but it is just so unlikely, as proven by the events of the True Story the movie is based on. If we ignore, for a minute, that this movie is, basically, an hour of watching someone working from home and focus on the scare factor. Nothing here really works.
The crying baby recording falls flat immediately thanks to the silliness of the situation. And the fact that our antagonist is so poorly established and not very threatening only makes things worse. In fact, director Colton Tran does the absolute minimum to establish our killer.
A Dull and Poorly Developed Antagonist
There is no build up to show the Gentleman luring out and attacking multiple people. There is no deep dive into whether or not he stalks his victims. And there is no real establishing of this person as being a threat. He’s just kind of there. When he begins phoning his victim, in this case our protagonist Charlie. You are left wondering whether or not you should care. I mean, sure, it must have been horrible for Charlie but he isn’t scary to us. This isn’t Ghostface or Norman Bates. Those guys were given screen time and shown to be a threat by actually murdering people. The Gentleman isn’t afforded this treatment so why should we care?
It doesn’t help that the person who voices the Gentleman sounds like Kelsey Grammer voicing Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons. This movie had me cracking up repeatedly thanks to this alone. His attempts to unsettle Charlie are laughable and poorly written and when we see him in person it gets even worse.
The Gentleman’s design looks like a crappy drawing that would feature as the thumbnail of an awful copypasta video on YouTube. A terrible papier-mâché mask and an awfully cheap looking suit and top hat, awful. Whoever is behind the mask seems to be very slightly built, as well. Further impacting how imposing and frightening he feels. I’m 6 foot and a bit and would tower this dude, he’s just not that scary. Throw in some general bumbling and he becomes, almost, a joke.
Rough With The Smooth
With all of that being said, the movie does look fairly nice in parts. It’s well filmed and eschews the oh so common Tubi 16:9 format which I appreciate. Some of the lighting is good and people may appreciate some of the tension. The claustrophobic social setting also works okay but the movie does feel very similar to countless other babysitter stalker horror movies. Kathleen Kenny is strong in the lead role and Charlie is a legitimately likable protagonist who is easy to route for. The ending of the movie is a big surprise. Taking what the viewer may expect to happen and turning it on its head in a legitimately fun final 15 minutes that will provoke a few smiles and maybe a few fist pumps.
But to get there is something of a chore. The movie goes over countless horror cliches and repeats itself over and over again. I can’t count how many times Charlie left the house to check something outside, purely to build some tension. For someone who has been through a harrowing experience, she sure doesn’t learn fast. Without spoiling anything, there is one scene involving the killer and the protagonist that is pure silliness for how it plays out. It reminded me of a cat that can’t decide whether it wants to be in or out.
There is tons of foreshadowing for a movie that features a big twist, as well. A lot of what happens doesn’t make sense and there is a lot of wasted time spent engaging in inconsequential rhetoric and pointless dialogue. I just found it all a bit repetitive and a bit difficult to stay engaged with. At least the running time is short, though, at only 75 minutes.
This movie would have been dramatically improved simply by spending a bit more time building up our antagonist. Have him kill a few people on screen. Make him look scary. Redesign him entirely from head to toe and completely rewrite his motivations. Hire a different voice actor. Make the person wearing the suit look more intimidating…… You know what, never mind.
Should You Watch Sorry, Charlie?
Sorry, Charlie isn’t a terrible movie. It’s actually pretty watchable and some people will probably enjoy it a lot. It’s a great option as a horror-lite for people who don’t watch horror very often. But, if you are a horror vet, this is a movie that you have seen many times before. It doesn’t do anything unique or interesting outside of its ending, it’s a bit boring. It’s not very scary, our killer is dull and our protagonist is likable but a bit dumb. The ending redeems things but you have to drag yourself through so much horror cliche to get there. There’s bags of potential here but it didn’t quite do it for me.