This is what I got vaccinated for? This is what I get when I go back to the theater? This is what Hollywood decides is a theatrical-only experience? Sure, sure. Bad horror movies are a dime a dozen, but they could have had the common courtesy to release it to streaming where we could watch it with derision in the safety of our home. But I guess they figured they were going to make very little movie either way so might as well make it seem like a theater-experience. Tricked me, that’s for sure.

Separation is about a married couple going through a divorce with custody of their their young daughter as an acidic hot potato. He’s a struggling, unemployed comic book artist, she rarely has time for her daughter but is gainfully employed. Then she gets hit by a car so he winds up with custody regardless. But soon his creepy ass creepy Tim Burton puppets/drawings from his past start haunting them in their grief. His daughter insists its mommy despite visual evidence otherwise.

My first problem with this movie is that the wife has cynical derision for his stupid puppets so why in hell would she come back to haunt them in their form. The puppets were just background noise in the movie’s structure… they were never promoted as his great love so using them just seems arbitrary and illogical. And they look nothing like her anyway. On top of that, at least the first two times we see them, it’s just a dream sequence… and neither time is remotely scary. In fact, the first time is so matter-of-fact and abrupt, I can’t imagine it was meant to be scary. Either that or the director has lost all sense of suspense or even jump scares.

But the main problem with the film, besides not being scary, is that it’s boring. It plods along telling what could be a sensitive, sad story about a broken papa and his daughter’s grief. It wants to be that but it’s not written, directed, or acted well enough to come across. And that it also needs to be a scary movie keeps butting up against the family drama. Look, I went to see a spooky movie for the spooky scenes but if they insist on the family drama, then fine. Do it right.

Credit, I suppose, for trying to inject some character and emotion into their generic horror movie. Wish it had worked. Not enough horror movies try this hard… though plenty of them fail just as much. This one is worth skipping, even when it sensibly comes out for home viewing.

Score: 60