‘The Front Room’ Review: A Horror-Comedy That Isn’t Quite Either

The Front Room, the new horror-comedy from filmmakers Max & Sam Eggers and A24, boasts a strong premise and a game cast, but it’s not particularly scary or funny. It’s surreal, clever, and occasionally visually quirky enough to fit the “indie horror” mold, but a little too unsubtle and user-friendly to feel like arthouse fare. Such a balance is possible — there are episodes of Atlanta, for instance, that represent exactly what The Front Room aims to be — but it isn’t achieved here. The Front Room is a good conversation starter, but part of that conversation is going to be: “Why isn’t it better?”

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THE FRONT ROOM ★1/2 (1.5/4 stars)
Directed by: Max Eggers, Sam Eggers
Written by: Max Eggers, Sam Eggers
Starring: Brandy, Andrew Burnap, Neal Huff, Kathryn Hunter
Running time: 95 mins.

Brandy Norwood stars as Belinda, an anthropology professor who worries she’ll be stuck at........

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