With the horror genre, sometimes less is more. Tension and emotion can carry a film through a lot of weaknesses. Julia Max’s The Surrender coasts on strong performances and direction to overcome the shortcomings of an occasionally shallow and generic script, making it a great entry in the canon of recent indie horror.
The Surrender Review
The movie follows a woman and her mother grieving after the death of the family’s patriarch as they consult a mysterious stranger who makes a unique promise: to bring their recently departed loved one back from the dead. Séancé horror films like this are easy to mess up because they can often border on goofy, but for the most part, Julia Max’s directorial debut manages to achieve a tone that feels genuinely sinister and also very effectively sad.
The Surrender is, unfortunately, another “elevated” horror film about grief and trauma. Julia Max’s script covers similar ground to that which has been explored in the genre since Ari Aster unleashed a maelstrom on indie filmmaking with his Hereditary, offering little in the way of a fresh perspective or anything particularly insightful. Most of these themes are dumped through expositional dialogue or obligatory flashbacks. Although Max’s vulnerability is evident on the screen, that alone is not enough to make the movie feel meaningful.
However, what Max lacks in depth of her screenwriting, she makes up for in the atmosphere of her direction. The Surrender is incredibly unsettling, creating a world that puts viewers on edge in a way that calls to mind the effectiveness of the Further in Insidious. That’s not to mention the jump scares, which, while not the film’s focus, are incredibly effective when used. Cailin Yatsko’s cinematography is also quite strong, featuring a seamless and effective aspect ratio change — something that many movies struggle to justify.
There is also something to be said about a filmmaker who can so effectively sustain tension throughout a 90-minute runtime. As simple as it is, The Surrender works because it never overstays its welcome. It’s scary, and it’s fun, and those are pretty much the only two boxes you absolutely have to check to have an effective horror movie.
However, what really puts The Surrender over the edge is that it gives us characters that are easy to genuinely care about. Admittedly, the attempts to give them a backstory are a bit underdeveloped. The protagonist’s tumultuous relationship with her mother, dating back to childhood, is not explored enough, while the mother’s spirituality and flirtation with superstition is an intriguing element that would be great to see more of. Yet despite these shortcomings, Max effectively appeals to the audience’s humanity, and as such, it doesn’t require the leap of faith that this premise might otherwise demand.
In the lead role, The Boys breakout Colby Minifie is stunning. Minifie might have found her calling in playing characters that seem easy to hate on their surface but offer layers of nuance and complexity in their deeper layers. It’s almost as if Minifie approached this role as she would one in a dramatic film, not one in a horror film, but this is absolutely the way to have done it.
As her mother, veteran actress Kate Burton (Big Trouble in Little China, The Ice Storm) is downright incredible. It’s definitely a big, showy horror performance, complete with lots of yelling and big mannerisms, but it gives Burton the room she needs to fly. Her chemistry with Minifie is superb, with the duo able to seamlessly capture the loving but conflict-filled relationship they share as mother and daughter.
Is The Surrender worth watching?
Indeed, The Surrender might not be the most original entry in the canon of “elevated” indie horror, but it approaches the formula with a craftsmanship and authenticity of emotion that allows it to work. It’s the type of fun, genuinely scary, and smart horror picture that has the chance to be a breakout hit if it catches the right audience.
The Surrender premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 7-15 in Austin, TX.
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