Have you ever wished you could go back in time and fix a mistake? Perhaps you remember something that never actually transpired as clear as day. Are you sure you’re even reading this review or perhaps our universe is in shift, and a mass conspiracy is afoot! That’s exactly the premise behind David Guy Levy and Steffen Schlachtenhaufen’s The Mandela Effect.

After the tragic death of their daughter, Brendan and Claire start encountering strange and unexplainable glitches in the fabric of reality. But what might be the interdimensional ghost of their daughter, might actually just be the effects of grief taking hold upon two poor souls struggling to keep their heads above water. The star-studded cast features Charlie Hofheimer (Mad Men, Would You Rather), Aleksa Palladino (The Irishman, Boardwalk Empire), Robin Taylor (Gotham, Would You Rather), Madeleine McGraw (Toy Story 4, Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Clarke Peters (His Dark Materials, The Wire, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri).

What’s remains the most fascinating point of discussion about this unique concept is that it is based off of a real X files-centric phenomenon; one that has amassed a cult following. It’s a belief in this lack of self-trust that fuels an acute paranoia in our cast of characters, progressively spiraling them all out of control and further into a place of obsession. The film itself adopts a thrill-inducing acid trip type tone, forever preying upon the viewer’s fear of not being in control. This quite wonderfully prompts a sense of dread and unease throughout the runtime that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. Some of the most jarring moments that pull out praise-worthy performances, from Hofheimer and Aleksa, are those where the couple happens upon their living daughter months after her death. Though, as circumstances tend to do in horror, a pivot is made toward a grander narrative of possibly sinister effects. An apocalyptic Matrix final act? What more do you need? 

With David Guy Levy, Steffen Schlachtenhaufen, and Joshua Fruehling at the helm, The Mandela Effect certainly will pique your interest in both this dimension and the next. The Mandela Effect is in Theaters and on VOD December 6, 2019.