The idea of hiding or removing a body to mask a crime isn’t new. It’s been a staple of the horror genre as far back as the 1955 French film Diabolique with a body in a pool and of course, Norman Bates’ mother in Psycho. Even prior to that, a hidden body was a staple of 19th Century Gothic literature. Think about all of the corpses hidden under floorboards or within walls of Poe’s macabre stories. In this regard, Laced plays with a familiar concept, and for the most part, it’s an arresting and entertaining thriller, until its last act.

Directed and written by Kyle Butenhoff, the film stars Dana Mackin as Molly. Her partner, Charlie, played by Butenhoff, is an abusive jerk. We see this from the outset. He’d rather watch sports than engage with Molly. He even barks at her to hush up a few times. The extent of his abuse isn’t fully known until about the film’s halfway point, so you don’t feel bad when she, along with the help of her new lover, the icy Victoria (Hermione Lynch), kill him. During the rest of the film, they struggle in figuring out how exactly to dispose of Charlie’s body. This is complicated even more when Molly’s brother and Charlie’s best friend, Austin (Zach Tinker), arrives on the scene. Though he initially resists, Austin eventually gets sucked into the problem of removing the body and covering up the crime.

As a whole, Laced is generally a single-location film that works well as a moody chamber piece and thriller. It’s not until the last act in which this film wanes and falls apart. Further, while some of the other characters are given a little more nuance and depth, especially Molly, who does earn a viewer’s sympathies once its fully known what exactly Charlie did to her, the same care is not afforded to Vicotria. She’s far too one-note.

Even worse, Victoria falls into that negative stereotype of queerness, specifically bisexuality here, as a monstrosity. It’s 2024 and we really should be past this point, but that’s not the case with Victoria, though it’s unlikely this was intentional on Butenhoffs part. Still, it’s another glaring issue with this film. At times, Victoria comes across like a femme fatale and her relationship with Molly isn’t given enough depth. This is a major missed opportunity. It’s largely because of Victoria, after all, that Molly finds the inner strength to leave an abusive relationship and enter a relationship with a female, which makes her far, far happier. Yet, Victoria comes across as a pure villain, willing to kill with no regrets. She even gives a monologue at one point underscoring her character’s negative traits. But what’s the point of this if we don’t see another side to her? She’s too hollow of a character and her sexuality comes across as destructive.

Laced certainly has positives and some generally riveting moments. It’s a decent thriller for a majority of the film, but it does have some major flaws, including its treatment of one of its queer characters and its inability to stick the landing.

6 Out of 10