The Eric Roberts Horror Collection: Something (dir by Stephen Portland)

2019’s Something tells the story of a married couple who are still adjusting to parenthood and who have recently moved into a new home. The Woman (Jane Rowen) is struggling with post-partum depression and the realization that her condescending husband doesn’t have the slightly idea what she’s going through. The Man (Michael Gazin) lives by Occam’s Razor. “The simplest explanation is the correct one,” he continually repeats. At first, the Man is dismissive of his wife’s fear that there’s someone in the house with them. But then The Man himself starts to see strange things. Is there someone or something in the house? Or is something else causing them to see the threatening intruder?

Considering the low budget and the somewhat derivative plot, Something is surprisingly effective. The low budget actually works to the film’s advantage. There’s no fancy makeup or CGI to give viewers the escape of saying, “It’s just a movie.” Instead, the movie becomes the very relatable story of two ordinary people who aren’t sure what they’re actually seeing. Anyone who has ever had to deal with someone who insists that there’s a rational explanation for everything will share the wife’s exasperation as her husband continually insists that Occam’s Razor can explain everything. Jane Rowen gives a strong performance as the Woman and the film does a good job of keeping you guessing.

As for Eric Roberts, he appears towards the end of the film. It’s a small role but it’s always good to see Eric Roberts and his oddly cheerful demeanor actually works within the context of the strange world that the film has created. Watching him in this film and listening to him explain what he thinks has been going on, it’s hard not to regret that Eric Roberts never played a crime-solving coroner on a Law & Order spin-off. That was definitely a missed opportunity.