There’s a great movie hidden in The Restoration at Grayson Manor. Described as a joyous mix of classic horror and melodrama, the film incorporates a number of influences that should all work in harmony together, yet the film is only able to come to life intermittently thanks to a scattershot script that can’t get a handle on its admittedly ridiculous plot. Worse still, this tale of queer repression and paranoia all too often refuses to lean into that ridiculous nature, making for a film that wants to be a lot more fun than it actually is.
Piano prodigy Boyd Grayson (Chris Colfer, TV’s Glee) delights in bringing men home to his sprawling family estate for sex, much to the chagrin of his uptight, legacy-obsessed mother Jacqueline (Alice Krige, Gretel & Hansel, Silent Hill). Taunted with the idea that he’ll never deliver her an heir, Jacqueline seizes the opportunity to make one herself when a poppers-related freak accident leaves Boyd handless and helpless. She hires cutting-edge technology doctor Jeffrey Tannock (Daniel Adegboyega) to give Boyd experimental prosthetics wired directly to his subconscious. Despite the assistance of nurse Lee (Declan Reynolds) and physical therapist Claudia (Gabriela Garcia Vargas), Boyd’s new appendages take on a life of their own, spelling doom for all who enter Grayson Manor.
The plot calls to mind a number of other media. Boyd’s bedridden hostage status evokes shades of Stephen King’s Misery, while the darkly comedic story of two adversaries living under the same roof echoes Danny DeVito’s The War of the Roses. Throw in a dash of Clive Barker’s “The Body Politic” (from his Books of Blood) and a smidge of James Whale’s The Old Dark House and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you’re in for with The Restoration at Grayson Manor. It’s a lot of ingredients to cram into a 90-minute runtime, and the film often threatens to buckle under the pressure of the very foundation it sits on. It never does, thankfully, but the cracks are visible nonetheless.
Director Glen McQuaid (I Sell the Dead), who is gay himself and working from a script he co-wrote with Clay McLeod Chapman, attempts to add depth to the material with its themes of queer repression. Those attempts are often at odds with the more cynical aspects of the plot. It’s jarring to a fault, giving the film a hollow emotional core as the snark overshadows the heart. This isn’t something particularly new for queer horror, but that McQuaid isn’t able to strike a perfect balance between the two is disappointing.
Chris Colfer in The Restoration at Grayson Manor
That being said, Restoration has moments of brilliance that clue you into the film that could have been. In its cold open, Boyd’s hands are sliced off in Grand Guignol geysers of blood that call to mind the Hammer Horror films of the ’60s and ’70s, and there’s plenty of dry humor as he trades barbs with Jacqueline to communicate the tone of the piece. It’s a fantastic hook, albeit one that doesn’t fully line up with the rest of the film because it never matches the energy that’s on display in this opening scene.
That lack of energy (a faux pas for a melodrama) feels particularly egregious when the plot is this chaotic. Working in the film’s favor, however, are the hands themselves. Played by the film’s composer Rueben Harvey, the appendages are brought to life with a mixture of practical and digital effects, courtesy of VFX supervisor Florian Grünberger. They stand on their own as characters (even if they are extensions of Boyd’s psyche), which is a testament to the stellar effects work. It’s a shame they don’t get more to do throughout the film, but when they take center stage in the third act, they bring several gnarly sequences with them as they work their way through the residents of Grayson Manor.
Restoration is most successful in its smaller moments, specifically those that see Colfer go toe-to-toe with Krige. McQuaid and Chapman’s twisted insults inject a much-needed energy into the proceedings and it’s a delight to watch Colfer and Krige revel in their awfulness. Colfer’s employs a gruff affectation to his performance that can be a bit one-note, but it’s refreshing to see the actor play against-type. That he manages to hold his own against a force such as Krige is all the more impressive. The other players have significantly less to work work with, with poor Vargas being the most underserved as Claudia, a character that the film never quite gets a handle on.
The Restoration at Grayson Manor has all the ingredients for a great film, but it doesn’t know how to execute them for maximum effect. One can’t help but wonder if this would have worked better as a two-actor piece with just Krige and Colfer, as their scenes together are when the film truly sings, but there’s just enough here to merit a slight recommendation for those who are curious.
The Restoration at Grayson Manor made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest. The film does not currently have a release date.
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