Twisted (2026) Review – Lauren LaVera & Djimon Hounsou Wasted

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing the brand new horror, thriller Twisted (2026). If you are looking for answers for this movie, why not check out our Twisted ending explained article? Keep in mind however, that article contains spoilers, unlike this review.

A Con Based Thriller That Flips On Its Head

Twisted starts off presenting itself as something of a thriller based on two characters conning unfortunate individuals. Paloma (Lauren LaVera) and Smith (Mia Healey) are lovers who make their living flipping houses. Well, when I say flipping houses I mean renting houses from landlords, placing the houses up for sale, and stealing the deposits from prospective buyers.

“Still, when you are the guy who brought the world of horror one of the best movies in a widely loved series, your name is going to cause at least a few ripples.”

They use myriad aliases from literary history and quickly move on when the scam is complete. The problem is, the person they are scamming this time is no regular landlord. Robert Kezian (Djimon Hounsou) is actually a genius neurosurgeon who is about to turn the tables on them in the most horrifying way possible.

The plot is fairly vanilla, if we are being perfectly honest. It’s the cast and crew that stand out here. Twisted features Terrifier 3’s Lauren LaVera in the lead role as Paloma and Djimon Hounsou as Dr. Kezian. That’s two strong names and both definitely bring a lot to the table. The most noteworthy person here, however, is director Darren Lynn Bousman.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bousman, he’s the person who took over directorial duties from James Wan on Saw II and a few of its subsequent sequels (Saw III, Saw IV, and Spiral). In his over two decades long horror career, he’s never really managed to reach those lofty heights ever again. In fact, the only noteworthy title of his is 2010’s Mother’s Day which I loved.

Still, when you are the guy who brought the world of horror one of the best movies in a widely loved series, your name is going to cause at least a few ripples.

It’s ultra familiar!

Bousman’s fingerprints are all over this movie. In fact, it’s almost like he is paying tribute to himself, at times. Twisted is full of overly stylised moments of split screen presentation, music video style production, convoluted plot twists, and moments designed to subvert expectation.

“Sure, it’s familiar but that isn’t a problem when executed well. You can’t tell me that you don’t enjoy the comfort of an old video game or a song you used to love. The same thing can be said for a traditional movie plot. The key thing is executing on that familiarity. “

This feels like a movie ripped out of 2007; keen to jump on that trend of loud edgy music and shock endings that you never see coming. Rather than fresh and vibrant, it is wearing the thread bare cargo pants of 2004 and a crop top that has long seen its best days. This movie feels old!

Don’t get me wrong, there is some appetite for this type of theatrical nostalgia. Some people will enjoy the throwback presentation in the same way they enjoy throwing on a 2000s R’n’B track with a hamfisted Ja Rule cameo verse. As a genre fan however, it’s hard not to feel like this style has had its day and the best place for it is in those halcyon, pre-internet dominance days.

I would actually go as far as to say that all the blaring alt-tracks, camera cuts, and hyperactive visual garnishing only serve to distract. There’s something about seeing a second screen splitting off to show an alternate view of the same scene, accented by thick black borders, that feels a little amateur. Think film school student who just found some new tricks on the editing suite.

Not exactly befitting of a director who has been at this for longer than most people who will watch it have been alive. That’s only part of Twisted’s problem, though.

Unrealised potential is the key word

I think the general plot outline of Twisted will grab people’s attention. Sure, it’s familiar but that isn’t a problem when executed well. You can’t tell me that you don’t enjoy the comfort of an old video game or a song you used to love. The same thing can be said for a traditional movie plot. The key thing is executing on that familiarity.

The whole ‘person doing the con doesn’t realise they are being conned’ thing is still an intriguing setup and it starts off fairly well. The con is pretty interesting and Lauren LaVera is obviously having a great time putting on fake accents and wigs to adopt different personalities.

It becomes clear pretty quickly that this is going to take a dramatic turn into style over substance. The aforementioned blaring alt music pretty much never stops. It plays loudly over scenes that absolutely don’t require a backing track and hints at a director who felt as though he needed to fill in the gaps where literally nothing was happening.

It never manages to peak

That’s a big problem here, too. For a movie about a pair of hustlers finding themselves in a life or death situation, there sure is a lot of time with nothing happening. There’s a scene where a captive Paloma has to be taken to piss and it lasts over three minutes.

No meaningful interactions, no consequence, just someone having a piss. There’s scene after scene like this with no character development, no action, and no plot progression. It’s going to be tough not to reach for your phone.

Every now and then the story flips to a pair of detectives pursuing our hustlers and that, somehow, manages to be even more boring that the main story thread. There’s a lot going on here but none of it is all that easy to invest in or all that entertaining. It’s a shame because, again, the plot outline is pretty compelling.

Characters are pretty awful!

Bousman occasionally manages to break through and create a moment of tension or a slightly more captivating story arc but, in most cases, it’s short lived. I think a big part of the problem is the characters themselves and the way they are written. People love morally ambiguous anti-heroes when they are well written but that’s just no the case here.

“It’s far too late to meaningfully save a movie that is, overall, just very dull and a great example of wasted potential. If you’re desperate for a 2007 time capsule, you might enjoy ‘playing the hits’ with Bousman one more time.”

Paloma and Smith are pretty unlikable which leaves you with the arduous task of sitting through 90 minutes of thriller shenanigans without a single decent character to latch onto. Paloma’s fate is very much a product of her own greed so it’s difficult to fully invest.

That leaves you to squarely focus on what is, essentially, a very poorly made film with a dull story that reflects a director who is still trying to get by on techniques that had a best before date of 2008. On the plus side, LaVera and Hounsou are fantastic but you probably already knew that. I really enjoyed some of the neon visuals in certain parts, too. This can be a great looking movie when it wants to be.

There’s a bit of a twist at the end that acts as something of a “Bousman Best Of” moment of playing the hits. That’s followed in quick succession by another twist that I am sure some people will enjoy.

It’s far too late to meaningfully save a movie that is, overall, just very dull and a great example of wasted potential. If you’re desperate for a 2007 time capsule, you might enjoy ‘playing the hits’ with Bousman one more time. For everyone else, this is a stylish but empty trip down a road we’ve already traveled too many times before.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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