“Black Mold” is a 2023 film written and directed by John Pata. It stars Agnes Albright as Brooke, Andrew Bailes as Tanner, Jeremy Holm as the squatter, and Caito Aase as CJ Muller. The film revolves around an ambitious photographer named Brooke, who finds herself trapped inside an abandoned facility with her co-worker and a squatter.
“Black Mold” is a decent film that does not provide anything more. The film messes up the last act. It falls flat because it fails to bind any of the many unrelated elements adequately. Even though its most prominent features are spooky home frights, it alludes to something dark and hidden inside. Even though Pata has crafted a competent horror story with a dedicated cast, the film ultimately falls short due to its tendency to recycle tired tropes. They had gone through terrifying visions and derelict buildings before. “Black Mold” falls short of its potential without interior anchoring.
Black Mold (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Who are Brooke and Tanner?
“Black Mold” begins with our protagonist, Brooke, walking into a derelict house devoid of humans and teeming with spider webs, abandoned furniture, animal litter, and mold. Brooke and her friends, CJ and Tanner, often look for abandoned or decrepit buildings or houses to take pictures and learn the story behind these houses. We also get a hint that Brooke is hiding some past trauma connected to her childhood. This is evidenced by one of the scenes where we see a teenage girl (possibly Brooke) finding her father’s body in her house.
When Tanner senses this and asks Brooke what haunts her, she ignores his questions. During one of her outings, Brooke reveals that they’re going to Franklin Hills, which Tanner is not excited about, even for reasons he cannot explain. Brooke has heard many stories and never encountered a person from Franklin Hills. Rumor has it that Franklin Hills used to house a Government facility where the government used to train soldiers or carry out secret and illegal experiments. Whatever the truth, the place has been abandoned for decades, and Brooke is keen on exploring it.
What happened at Franklin Hills?
As soon as Brooke walks into the building, she starts seeing weird things that no one can explain. The first one was a strange message scribbled on the wall that read, “Have you forgotten the face of your father?” At first, Brooke doesn’t make anything of it. However, the audience can’t help but connect it to Brooke’s tragic past.
Things turn interesting when Brooke and Tanner run into a squatter who has been living in the building for some time now. The squatter claims Brooke and Tanner are from the government wanting to take them away. The squatter tries to attack them but calms down when Brooke tells him she is not from the government.
Brooke and Tanner also promise to leave the building and never return. Unfortunately, as soon as Brooke and Tanner ease their hold on the door, the squatter barges inside, knock them unconscious and kidnaps them. After Brooke and Tanner gain consciousness, the squatter promises not to lay a finger on them and apologizes for his earlier outbursts. The settler also burns their camera and films to make sure “they” will not be able to find him.
What Hallucinations Brooke and Tanner Are Having?
The squatter completely piques Brooke’s interest when he calls her “little star,” something Brooke’s father used to call her. Brooke had a tragic childhood and had endured a trauma too severe for a teenager. One ungodly day, when Brooke entered his father’s bedroom, she found his body covered in blood. Everyone supported Brooke through this tough time, but she couldn’t help but blame herself for what happened to her father. Brooke also noticed this hatred on everyone’s face when they talked to her, even her own. However, the film fails to explain why Brooke’s father took such harsh steps. It is possible that he was suffering from some mental health issues, which culminated in him taking his life.
Brooke finds many similarities between the squatter and her deceased father when she sits with the squatter. They both look alike and talk in the same way, and both have daughters who were born four years apart. This can be a coincidence, or the microbial mold may make her believe or see things that aren’t true. Brooke hears CJ’s car, but when she gets downstairs, CJ is nowhere to be found, as if she has vanished into thin air. There is another explanation for this, as it is highly possible that Brooke’s seeing CJ’s car was just a hallucination. The building is full of microbial mold, which is often known to cause headaches and hallucinations. So, it is possible that the strange message Brooke saw as she entered the building was another one of her hallucinations.
Black Mold (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
Why Does Brooke Kill Tanner?
While trying to catch sleep, Brooke is met with another hallucination wherein she sees her deceased father, who warns her about the squatter being dangerous. Not just that Brooke also sees CJ’s car with her dead body inside. However, it is later revealed that CJ has actually died, been killed by the squatter himself. The squatter confesses that CJ arrived looking for Brooke and Tanner, but he killed her thinking she was with “them.” Brooke isn’t the only one having a hard time. Tanner had tried to escape the facility earlier but saw his greatest fear, scarecrows, coming to life. No matter how hard Tanner tried, he could not find his way, and with no choice left, he had to return to the building eventually.
As the film nears its end, Tanner is met with another hallucination where he sees that the squatter has started to turn into a werewolf. To save himself from being ripped out, Tanner grabs a sharp object and stabs the squatter with it. By this time, Tanner has completely lost himself and turns his gaze on Brooke, aiming to kill her too and end her suffering. Thus, with no other choice, Brooke also ends up killing Tanner in self-defense.
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