Run, a Hulu Original movie, has destroyed all competition in its Opening weekend in November. It has since set numerous records, including the most watched Hulu Original movie. Here’s why the psychological thriller directed by Newcomer Director Aneesh Chaganty should be on your watch-list.
The Horrifying Setting And Premise
Diane & Chloe Sherman are a mother-daughter duo who live their life in peace and seclusion. Chloe is wheelchair bound. Her mother takes care of her, giving her daily doses of prescribed medications to keep her healthy. At first, Diane seems to be a benevolent, nurturing being. As the story unravels, Chloe realizes that Diane has been lying to her. Her mother has been secretly feeding pills that keep her daughter ill instead of curing her. Some of those pills are not even meant for humans. They are dog pills. Love soon turns into obsession. As Diane realizes Chloe is onto her, she becomes increasingly unhinged and psychotic, doing anything she can to keep her daughter under her control.
Set Within Stephen King’s Universe
Run’s story and characters bear a massive resemblance to another Stephen King classic called Misery. It also shows us a story where a man is taken hostage by his ‘caretaker’. The place where Run takes place is Derry, Maine. Stephen King often uses the location in his stories. Although not explicitly stated, there are multiple cues that slyly set the movie within the Stephen king Universe. Chaganty is a big time fan of Stephen King. When the author tweeted he is a fan of the movie, Aneesh Chaganty took to Twitter to post this:
Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. DEFCON 7. https://t.co/RJFaff4Xc5
— Aneesh Chaganty (@aneeshchaganty) November 24, 2020
Allegedly Based On Multiple Real Life Events
When Anessh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian sat together to craft the story for Ryun, they used several real life events for inspiration. Run is a story of trauma and abuse. The world, as dark as it is, has plenty of such twisted tales. Kiera Allen, who plays Chloe Sherman, daughter of Dian Sherman (played by Sarah Paulson), went on record to state how she read cases of people suffering from trauma to prepare for her role. The actor even did a lot of research on her own. She listened to people dealing with the aftermath of such cases to show her take on Chloe. The movie is also allegedly based on another 2019 Hulu Movie called The Act. The Act was revealed by Hulu to be based on real events.
Horror Queen Sarah Paulson Is In It
Sarah Paulson is a great actress. She has starred in numerous horror movie and TV Show projects. Recently she starred as Nurse Ratched in Netflix’s Ratched. She played the iconic character from the 1975 cult classic One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Paulson delivers yet another masterclass this time as Diane Sherman, the antagonist of the movie. While the movie only has a few major actors playing screen-time worthy roles, Paulson steals the show. You could watch it just for her.
Directed By Aneesh Chaganty (Who Also Directed Searching)
Aneesh Chaganty has not achieved the same level of stardom as Steven Spielberg or M Night Shyamalan. But from his track record, he is most likely going to top them all in a short while. In just 29 years of age, he has given us two nerve-wracking psychological horror thrillers. In 2018, he directed Searching, a social media thriller that went viral and became the talk of the town almost instantaneously. Chaganty has a flair for the horror genre. And with Run, he has hit a home-run once again. This movie carries the same mind-bending twists and turns in the plot like Chaganty’s 2018 directorial debut.
