This Free-To-Watch Body Horror Is Stylish and Depraved All at Once

The term body horror usually conjures up gruesome images that are guaranteed to heave your stomach and activate your gag reflex. It is not necessarily known for being subtle. In fact, it is generally considered to be the polar opposite: graphic, bold and demanding. However, in 2022’s Swallowed, director Carter Smith somehow crafts the viscera of body horror while approaching the subject evasively. By doing so, he reveals a universal fear we didn’t even know we had. While the queer themes in Swallowed’s narrative are provocative and powerful, Smith has already proved his deft handle on sociopolitical ideas before, boasting an impressive directorial debut of the eco-horror The Ruins. As such, it is his innovative approach to body horror that steals our breath in Swallowed, demonstrating his mastery over turning a concept that is usually considered perverse into something more… tasteful.

‘Swallowed’ Approaches Horror in an Evasive Way

Smith sets up his enigmatic style long before the scenes of body horror are played in Swallowed, almost tricking us into forgetting the genre of the film. Opening up with a grainy, rave-inspired ’90s party, Swallowed dazzles us with flashing lights and the undeniable chemistry between Benjamin (Cooper Koch) and Dom (Jose Colon), belying the impending horror. It maintains this vintage look by filming in a 4:3 aspect ratio and pointing the camera at characters’ faces from stylistic angles. Even Benjamin’s story has a grungy feel to it, as he is about to move to the aspirational LA, where he is being promised accomodation and a career in pornography. While the ever supportive Dom is happy for him, he wants to send Ben off with a little safety cash, leading to a drug run gone wrong.

As the events play out, both Ben and Dom are roped into swallowing sacks of drugs to take over the Canadian border, after which they will need to excrete the packages safely at a dodgy rest stop. However, after a homophobic altercation and a punch to Dom’s stomach, which is holding five of the six sacks, chaos and excruciating pain is unleashed. Breaking out in sweat and groaning doubled-over, we vicariously feel the torment through Dom, especially when we realize that these aren’t just your regular drugs. Between the pain, paralysis and pleasure etched on Dom’s face, the entire ordeal feels utterly surreal, particularly as we imagine the sickening scene inside his guts. It is wildly contrasted with the sustained stylish cinematography, wrenching away the faux sense of safety evoked from it and accentuating the undercurrents of tension between the two friends, lurking underneath Koch and Colon’s on-screen chemistry in undulating waves.

‘Swallowed’ Uses Body Horror To Uncover a New Fear

Considering Smith’s background in fashion photography, the stylistic approach to tension makes sense, but it is even more powerful in the body horror sequences. With Dom’s health deteriorating, their temporary boss, Alice (Jena Malone), takes them to her employer’s cabin to extract whatever drugs weren’t burst open in his gut. The build-up to this scene is a form of horror in itself, as even as Alice insists on Ben anally retrieving the drugs, it is clear that no one wants it to happen. Ben slowly and unbearably lathers his entire arm in vaseline, allowing the extent of his intrusion to fully fall on us without even beginning the deed yet. It’s these kinds of subtle and non-graphic inclusions that really create the agonizing atmosphere.

When he begins, a blanket covers the actual act itself, but it may as well not be there as Ben’s tearful reassurances, Dom’s guttural screams and even Alice’s inability to watch convey the body horror and trauma. When Rich comes into the picture with his sickly smile and vile pleasure in the events, the atmosphere becomes far too overpowering. What makes this evasive style so effective is that Smith already proves that he has no aversion to explicit scenes, as there are incidents of full-frontal nudity littered in the film. This disconcerting contrast keeps us on our toes while allowing our imagination and gut-feeling to take the reins.

The technique of horror being hidden beneath these more palatable folds is aligned with how the film turns the pure queer romance and potential sexual chemistry between the two leads into this perverse and utilitarian act. It alludes to the provocative commentary on how queer relationships are perceived while also contributing to the venereal horror, made even more profound by Smith’s subtle methods. But the bodily impact of the scene isn’t felt by queer audiences alone. In fact, it uncovers a buried fear we didn’t know we had that is universally felt as we watch the sequence unfold while remaining clenched. The evasive and stylistic way Smith portrays depravity in Swallowed is mesmerizing in a grostesque way that’ll leave a lasting impression on our churning gut.

Swallowed follows the story of lifelong friends Benjamin and Dom, who embark on a fateful journey during their last night together. To secure a better future, they undertake a risky mission involving smuggling a package across the border, leading to unforeseen challenges and testing their friendship.

Release Date

June 4, 2022

Director

Carter Smith

Cast

Cooper Koch
, Jose Colon
, Jena Malone
, Mark Patton
, Roe Pacheco
, Michael Curtis
, Hannah Perry
, Thee Suburbia

Runtime

95 Minutes