Understanding where the source of stress stems from is difficult, and if meeting your partner’s parents is stressful for you, meeting your partner’s parental figures over the weekend and staying together under one roof is indeed more stressful. Imagine all of this, but with the added twist of a haunted house, and you have ‘The Parenting’. This features a Grade A cast complemented by a set of connected narratives that gives a vibe as a blend of funny & terrifying. Think of it as 20% stand-up, 30% romantic drama, and 50% horror show.
The movie’s prologue begins in the year 1983 as a woman prepares food in her uniquely colored kitchen while wearing her work apron over a poofy dress. Along with a teenage boy and girl, she is abruptly introduced to something terrifying.
Here we are in the present day (time for a Dua Lipa song). The young couple looking to set up the ‘meet the parents’ trip is Rohan (Nik Dodani) and Josh (Brandon Flynn). Rohan is somewhat of a control freak, and there is no way that he is going to forget any of the materials. For example, he is not going to allow his parents to find out that Josh has recently been unemployed and is trying to become a musician. Rohan has also told their best friend Sarah (Vivian Bang) that he is on the hunt for the ideal setting to pop the question.
Rohan and Josh seem happier than they should be with Brenda (Parker Posey) welcoming them rather creepily, and this is because they are thoroughly amused by the fact that they were able to purchase the beautiful house at such a low price. They also do not seem to care much when she informs them of the upcoming annual Worm Moon (the spring full moon, which is known to represent restoring balance) happening during their stay. The scrapes on the floorboard that form a crude circle go completely unnoticed. For now, however, there is no longer time to pay attention to anything as parents come in. Rohan’s parents are pretty unconventional when it comes to dealing with emotions, so Frank (Brian Cox) is not comfortable talking about them, while Sharon (Edie Falco) is the paranormal judger who seems more than happy to delve into deeper discussions. Josh, on the other hand has softer parents in Liddy (Lisa Kudrow) and Cliff (Dean Norris). Their meetings culminate in being uncomfortable and eventually go on to becoming unbearably awkward.
As luck would have it, Sharon’s bathroom door happens to be open, and Josh decides to get some fresh air. He assumes that it will be the worst thing he witnesses over the weekend. It isn’t. He picks up three weed gummies while unexpectedly being calmed down by something touching his leg that rested underneath the dining table. It is not until the following morning that things get scary. For starters, Frank looks sick, and he is acting strangely. Josh tells Frank to pass the bread knife. In place of passing it, he instead uses the knife to cut through Josh’s arm. Uncountable amounts of scary things begin happening after this moment.
Kent Sublette (“Saturday Night Live”) and Craig Johnson combine elements of horror, humor, and spookism effectively, shocking viewers just when they think they have everything sorted out. Cox ad-libs quite a lot while being possessed, including gushing out some vomit in a manner stronger than a firehose while nudely blasting through the screen. Posey, for her part, has fun portraying the bizarre woman living next door, but is spared from sharing what sort of bizarre things she does.
Those who are sensitive to the treatment of pets might want to check with doesthedogdie.com before purchasing a ticket. This is not a slasher film. Characters get opportunities to help one another and the harm done to human and dog tourists is mercifully superficial, by the bounds of the humor that is meant to relieve stress. He is wise enough to appreciate that the easiest way to get people who are renting a house to stay in to utter some words is to make it the wifi password. And I note that the film’s limited opening comes on the evening of the 14th of March 2025, which is the day of the Worm Moon. Better not attempt to utter that password in a voice loud enough for others to hear.
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