Breeder Review – This Horror Film Is Texas Chain Saw Massacre Without the Gore

Eugenics sparks heated conversations, and rightfully so. We aren’t arguing about whether pineapple belongs on pizza, you know. Breeder tackles this controversial topic, then adds another important question into the mix: how far would you be willing to go to fund your dreams? As it turns out, some people’s moral compass shatters when money enters the equation.

YouTuber Alex Goyette writes and directs Breeder. Goyette has likely encountered many utterly bizarre individuals in the comments section, and he brings the batsh*t nature of the Internet’s lunacy to the film’s characters and premise. Russell (Daniel Doheny) is bright and wants to get his bee project off the ground; however, securing funding is another story altogether, especially without a PhD in his corner. His luck changes when poodle breeder Patti Kolb (Dot-Marie Jones) reaches out and offers to fund his work.

Blinded by the prospect of his dream coming true, Russell drives out to Patti’s remote ranch to discuss the matter over dinner with her and her daughters. As the evening gets progressively weirder, Russell finds out about Patti’s own new project: breeding people. Patti signs a blank check and hands it to Russell, promising to fund his entire project if he reproduces with her daughter Ainsley (Maddie Phillips). Instead of running for the hills, Russell stays after striking a deal with Ainsley.

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Breeder doesn’t boast the bloodshed and kill count of The Hills Have Eyes or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but the Kolb family evokes the same dread as the mutants and Sawyers. You know that something is seriously wrong from the first dinner conversation, and Patti and her family give you the heebie-jeebies. Still, it’s uncertain which direction the story will take.

That said, Dot-Marie Jones steals the movie as Patti. She’s terrifying in her ability to move from silent stonewaller to raging monster. At times, her thumping down the hallway is reminiscent of Mr. X’s footsteps from Resident Evil 2, when you never know if she’ll burst through the door at any second.

Goyette fuels even more tension in Breeder by planting seeds of doubt about the various characters. Trust is a serious issue here, with characters occupying shades of gray in their intentions. Even the main protagonist, Russell, isn’t simply the victim of circumstance, as his motivation oscillates between desperation and greed. After all, he could have walked away, but those dollar signs convinced him otherwise.

Set primarily in one location – the Kolb ranch – the terror works due to the feeling of isolation and helplessness. It’s impossible for Russell to escape, and even when help arrives, Patti is one step ahead of him and everybody else. The story pulls out a few time jumps, which unbalance the movie slightly, since none except the final one felt absolutely necessary. Yet Goyette keeps it moving at a stable pace, knowing when to speed up and slow down to not overwhelm.

Breeder understands how to get under the skin without having to venture too far into blood-and-gore territory. Goyette, though, never loses track of the big question about the price of ambition. Russell and Patti have their own dreams, for very different reasons, but they’re both chasing after something and are similar in more ways than they think.

Uncomfortable and unnerving, Breeder is an exploration of the darker side of humanity that gnaws at your emotions. It’ll also have you questioning the next dinner invite from a stranger.

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Breeder opens in theaters on October 28 via IFC and Shudder.