The Restoration at Grayson Manor [Fantastic Fest Review]

by Mike McGranaghan

It isn’t the titular residence that’s under repair in The Restoration at Grayson Manor. This devilishly funny horror comedy from director Glenn McQuaid starts by establishing a long-standing feud between musician/playboy Boyd Grayson (Chris Colfer) and his domineering mother Jacqueline (Alice Krige). She resents the fact that her son is gay and therefore won’t be able to produce an heir. He resents her homophobia and responds by flaunting his random sexcapades in front of her. Theirs is a mother/son relationship that defines the word “dysfunctional.”

During a heated conversation, a horrific accident occurs that severs both of Boyd’s hands. Jacqueline immediately brings in Dr. Jeffrey Tannock (Daniel Adegboyega), whose cutting-edge technology could provide her son with a new set of mechanical hands that he can control subconsciously. Also arriving to help are two nurses, Claudia (Gabriela Garcia Vargas) and Lee (Declan Reynolds). Jacqueline is the conniving type, so she’s got bigger things on her mind than simply restoring Boyd’s hands.

McQuaid and co-writer Clay McLeod Chapman devise stinging barbs for the main characters to lob at each other. Within minutes, we grasp the mutual resentment that fuels their interactions. Jacqueline makes no effort to hide her disappointment in Boyd, and he never hesitates to goad her with his sexuality. Having played twisted women in Gretel & Hansel and Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers, Alice Krige is really good at this kind of thing. You hate Jacqueline every second she’s onscreen, and it’s a glorious feeling. Colfer gives it right back, nicely capturing Boyd’s petulant, entitled personality.

The Restoration at Greyson Manor is done in the style of melodrama. McQuaid has cited soap operas like Dallas, Falcon Crest, and Knots Landing as influences, along with movies such as Night of Dark Shadows and The Old Dark House. That exaggerated style of writing and acting perfectly accentuates the lurid details of the plot. By giving itself permission to go big, the film delivers heartier laughs and more lusty shocks, particularly when it incorporates the old horror concept of a hand acting on its own accord.

Production design and cinematography similarly lean into the melodramatic vibe. This is a very stylish looking picture. Best of all, McQuaid and his team never treat their chosen format as a joke. They use it in earnest appreciation, recognizing its inherent storytelling strengths. With its precisely pitched performances, heightened atmosphere, and enjoyably sordid subject matter, The Restoration at Grayson Manor is unlike anything else we’ve seen recently in the horror genre, and that keeps your eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end.

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