The Honeycut: ‘Fall’ Takes Horror to New Heights

Starting the Climb 

Not many things in life, let alone movies, can freak me out. However, heights have always been one of my biggest fears. Even if I’m just on the second floor of a mall, I’m scared of falling over the rail or the whole thing just collapsing. 

“Fall” preys on people’s fear of heights. I can tell you firsthand it worked on me. I’ve never been as sweaty and stressed out when watching a movie as I was with this one. 

I vaguely remember hearing about “Fall” a while back. Recently I saw Stephen King say that “Fall” is a movie he wished he had written. I thought that was pretty interesting and decided to check it out. 

It’s been a few weeks since I watched it, and this movie keeps popping into my head. Is it the way it makes you feel like you’re trapped hundreds of feet off the ground? Is it the characters, or the story? Let’s break this down and find out. 

The Story

Becky finds herself in a vicious cycle of depression and substance abuse after losing her husband in a climbing accident the prior year. When she reunites with her thrill-seeking friend, Hunter, the two women decide to get their kicks by climbing up an abandoned radio tower in a remote desert location. They make it to the top, but the ladder crumbles, stranding the pair. From here, it’s a fight for survival as they struggle to hold out until help arrives… hopefully. 

Honey’s Cut

I really dug this one, even though I had to look away a bunch of times. The sweeping shots of the ground below made me so tense! The way this movie is shot really makes you feel like you are trapped up on the tower with Becky and Hunter. 

Now, a story of two people being trapped on an abandoned tower in the middle of nowhere would be a decent enough film. But this one also has a lot of substance to it. We really get a feel for Becky and Hunter’s friendship, as well as Becky’s strained relationship with her father (I didn’t expect to see Negan in this one). So, there is plenty of excellent character development. 

About halfway through, we learn that Becky’s now-deceased husband had cheated on her with Hunter. Seeing how Becky deals with this and its effect on her and Hunter’s friendship was one of the highlights for me. 

There is also an amazing twist at the end that pushes “Fall” from a survival movie into something deeply psychological. I won’t spoil anything. I recommend you see it for yourself. That part, and the entire movie reminded me of “47 Meters Down,” which I also really enjoyed. 

Honey’s Final Thought 

I think what “Fall” shows us is that we are stronger than we think. When we first catch up with Becky, she is distraught over her husband’s death. She’s a shell of her former self. Throughout the film, we see her getting back to her old self and eventually doing whatever it takes to survive. 

Humans are resilient. If you’ve ever accomplished something difficult or have gone through a rough patch and came out better on the other side, you almost surprise yourself. Like, “Man, I did all that?” Or “Wow, I really just went through that and came out stronger?” 

This movie is a good reminder to always keep swinging in life. And I didn’t have to climb up a rickety old tower to realize that.