Saint Drogo is the latest from the filmmaking team of Michael J. Ahern, Ryan Miller, and Brandon Perras. Best known for 2020’s neo-giallo horror comedy Death Drop Gorgeous – a film I still really need to see – the trio have returned here with a dread-filled relationship drama that also bears some striking Lovecraftian elements. In other words, this is very much a film for me.
We follow a gay couple whose relationship his hit a turning point. One wants to branch out and evolve their life together. The other is content with the way things have been going. Neither seems much interested in meeting the other halfway. They are growing apart and the fixation that one of them has on his ex – who is now MIA in some seaside town – is only making matters worse. In an effort to rekindle things, they decide to take a trip together to said seaside town. The hope is that they can find the former-ex-turned-friend to ease their minds, while also having a good relaxing weekend getaway together.
Naturally, this being a horror film, things do not go as planned.
I could ramble on about the horror elements here, as well as the film’s overall tackling of the taboo (both the physical and the psychological), but what really makes Saint Drogo pop is the writing. Our leads are complicated, flawed, and beautifully-defined individuals. This is key to a relationship drama, as it means that we end up caring about the both of them, even when they’re actively or passively doing things to hurt one another. The excellent performances further enhance this, culminating in the viewer spending the finale terrified that one or both of them might not make it out of their predicament alive.
I could pick some nits over pacing and a few of the supporting performances, but they’d be only that: nitpicks. Saint Drogo is a damn good little film and one that is bound to find a devoted audience once it departs the festival circuit into a regular release. Key your eyes peeled for this one, folks.
The Schlocketeer 