With the majority of theaters around the nation still closed, some new releases are switching to a premium-priced VOD format in an attempt to recoup their production costs in the absence of a theatrical release. The latest to do so is the slavery horror film Antebellum , which will be available to rent on Sept. Here's everything you need to know about Antebellum , from the plot to the reviews.
Antebellum is a psychological horror film about Veronica Henley, a modern-day Black woman who is seemingly transported back in time to the 19th century, where she is forced to live as a slave in the Antebellum South. It's Henley's mission to free herself and others and take them back to the modern time period before it is too late.
Joining her in the cast are Gabourey Sidibe as Veronica's best friend, Marque Richardson as her husband, and London Boyce as her daughter.
The main villains are Jack Huston as Eden's plantation owner, Eric Lange as a confederate senator who torments her, and Jena Malone as the mistress of the plantation. The film was written and directed by first-time filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. Antebellum is not a horror movie in the sense of, say, The Exorcist. What's scary about the movie are its depictions of racism and the upsetting violence that it displays.
There are rape, torture, and murder scenes throughout the movie, and it's Black people who are most often at the receiving end of this violence. The film has an R-rating partly for " disturbing violent content, " so many viewers may find the film difficult to watch for its violence, but don't expect a traditional horror movie experience.
