Twisted Horror Comedy You Don’t Need Netflix To Watch Gives Lord Of The Rings Star His Wildest Movie Ever
Elijah Wood has been known to take on a number of unconventional roles in recent years, and similar to Daniel Radcliffe’s career trajectory, Wood’s early success with the Lord of the Rings franchise has afforded him the opportunity to star in some profoundly strange films. I’m not here to talk about his ill-fated heist plot with Nicolas Cage in 2016’s The Trust, however. Instead, I need to talk about Come to Daddy, an extremely violent horror comedy film that consistently pushes the viewer into increasingly uncomfortable territory.
An Alfred Hitchcock-Style Twist
Playing out like a B-movie with a higher production value, Come to Daddy is one of those films that takes a page out of the Alfred Hitchcock playbook. That is to say, any detailed description of this movie past its first-act reveal will spoil crucial plot elements (not unlike Psycho) that you’d probably rather experience first-hand. But we can set up the premise and break down why it’s such a brilliantly unhinged exercise in awkward comedy featuring over-the-top violence using found weapons.
Elijah Wood Has Daddy Issues
Come to Daddy introduces us to Elijah Wood’s Norval Greenwood as he arrives at his estranged father’s secluded beach-side Oregon home. Clearly coming from money, Norval travels to Oregon after receiving a letter from his father, Brian, in an effort to rebuild their relationship. Norval, who was abandoned by Brian when he was five years old, opens up to Brian about his past, but is met with hostility after getting called out for lying about his successful music career and friendship with Elton John.
Tensions reach an all-time high in Come to Daddy when Brian tries to kill Norval with a meat cleaver, but suddenly dies of a heart attack before he can cause any harm. Norval calls the coroner to dispose of Brian’s body, but he’s told that the body will be returned to the residence after it’s embalmed because the local morgue is overcrowded. Norval has to spend a week in the company of Brian’s corpse while he waits for his mother to arrive and help with the funeral arrangements.
Come To Daddy Takes A Major Turn
Now living alone in Brian’s house, Norval is haunted by mysterious banging he hears throughout the night. Justifiably paranoid, Norval searches the house and uncovers Brian’s secret past involving a number of dangerous individuals. Norval learns that he was invited to Brian’s house to carry out some of his father’s unfinished business, and Come to Daddy quickly transforms into a home invasion plot that’s not for the faint of heart.
Come to Daddy then thrusts Norval into fight-or-flight mode as he fights off intruders with whatever objects (like a spool of plastic wrap) he can use to defend himself. As the film progresses through its second and third acts, more details about Brian’s life are revealed, and Norval has no choice but to survive the week and come to terms with his father’s questionable past.
Critics Enjoyed Come To Daddy
Come to Daddy was not a commercial hit, and its limited release resulted in a box office return of $117,974. But don’t let the amount of ticket sales fool you because critics were quick to praise this off-the-wall Elijah Wood horror flick, which earned an 88 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Praised for its willingness to subvert every expectation, Come to Daddy shamelessly takes you on a wild ride full of questionable motives, violence, and awkward humor.
Watch It For Free
Elijah Wood clearly has a passion for offbeat and risky films, and Come to Daddy is the most unhinged title that he’s starred in since his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings franchise that he’s best known for. If you’re ready to take a horrifying journey to Oregon to watch the violence unfold, you can stream Come to Daddy on Tubi.
