Self-Help

Self-Help, Erik Bloomquist's new film, is an incisive, disturbing, and at times funny dive into the twists and turns of family trauma, cult psychology, and the blurred line between healing and suffering. Blending horror, psychological drama, and offbeat comedy, the film refuses to follow the usual codes of the thriller or classic family drama. Instead, it deals as much with manipulation, generational damage, and the cost of emotional neglect as it does with fear and suspense. It is an original, ambitious, and captivating film that leaves a lingering unease.

The story follows Olivia (Landry Bender), a student who reluctantly agrees to spend a weekend at a personal development center with her mother Rebecca (Amy Hargreaves), a woman she hasn't seen since her first year away from home. Their relationship is marked by an incident that occurred during their childhood, a mixture of humiliation, betrayal, and violence that neither of them has ever really faced. Olivia's best friend Sophie (Madison Lintz) joins them, initially appearing to be a loyal and supportive companion, until a shocking confrontation at the airport reveals a more disturbing side to her morality.

 This early moment is emblematic of the film's style: taking small, believable human flaws and using them to sow the seeds of mistrust that grow throughout the story. The retreat is led by Curtis Clark (Jake Weber), a charismatic and evasive guru who claims to be non-sectarian and whose methods range from aggressive therapy to outright sadism.

 Curtis Clark rejects the label of cult leader, claiming that cults want people to stay, but he wants them to leave. However, his power over the group is absolute. His exercises, which include moments of self-harm, ritualized humiliation, and irreversible bodily sacrifices, are designed to rid followers of their emotional baggage. Some participants, such as Joanne (Carol Cadby) and Andy (Blaque Fowler), seem to emerge changed for the better, but at a huge personal cost. This moral ambiguity is one of the film's greatest strengths, constantly forcing the viewer to question whether Olivia's skepticism is entirely justified or whether Curtis Clark's tortuous path to healing has merit.

It is in its refusal to offer easy answers that Self-Help succeeds best. The relationship between Olivia and Rebecca is the emotional backbone of the film, and Amy Hargreaves embodies Rebecca with an infuriating mix of vulnerability and denial — the kind of parent who accepts that her daughter spits in her face but makes no apology for years of emotional neglect. Director Erik Bloomquist and his brother Carson Bloomquist weave disturbing family truths into their script: children owe their parents nothing, but parents owe their children everything.

 This theme, rarely explored in such a raw way, gives the film's horror elements real emotional weight. Tonally, Erik Bloomquist shifts gears frequently, sometimes within the same scene. There are moments of absurd humor, disturbing scenes of physical horror (including one sequence that may be traumatic for sensitive viewers), and passages of pure psychological tension. While these changes keep the audience on their toes, they also create a certain unevenness.

Some twists, particularly the overall trajectory of the story, are easy to predict from the outset, and a few characters who seemed important at first fade inexplicably as the plot progresses. These issues don't ruin the film, but they do prevent it from reaching its full potential.

In terms of acting, the cast is fully committed. Landry Bender plays Olivia, a sympathetic but flawed guide through the chaos, while Madison Lintz strikes the right balance between charm and silent menace. Curtis, played by Jake Weber, is a charismatic, soft-spoken character with an authoritarian streak, the kind of person you can easily imagine following willingly. Erik Bloomquist, in a supporting but essential role as Owen, adds a subtle menace, while Carol Cadby and Blaque Fowler bring depth to characters who could have been treated as extras in a less ambitious genre film.

Self-Help is more interested in the emotional wounds of its characters than in the body count. This may frustrate horror fans who expect the bloody energy of the Bloomquists' previous films (She Came from the Woods, Founder's Day), but the film offers something arguably more lasting: a story rich in characters and themes, dealing with the lies we tell ourselves, the evil we inherit, and the dangerous appeal of those who claim to have all the answers. The film isn't perfect: its predictability at times and its occasionally disjointed narrative prevent it from reaching excellence, but its bold thematic ambition and compelling performances make it a film worth checking out.

With its mix of dark psychology, offbeat humor, and raw emotion, Self-Help is a solid addition to the Bloomquists' growing filmography, even if it's not their best film. It's a film that makes you think, makes you uncomfortable, and stays with you long after the credits roll, a film that deserves our attention not for its perfection, but for its willingness to provoke, question, and disturb.

Self-Help
Directed by Erik Bloomquist
Produced by Carson Bloomquist, Erik Bloomquist
Written by Erik Bloomquist, Carson Bloomquist
Starring Landry Bender, Jake Weber, Madison Lintz, Amy Hargreaves, Erik Bloomquist, Carol Cadby, Blaque Fowler, Adam Weppler, Marlee Eaton, Nikolay Moss, James Nash, Ira Carmichael, Annette Saunders
Music by Haim Mazar
Cinematography: Mike Magilnick
Edited by Carson Bloomquist, Erik Bloomquist
Production companies: Mainframe Pictures
Distributed by WTFFilms
Release date: TBD
Running time: 85 minutes

Viewed on August 13, 2025 (press screener)

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