Brothers Erik and Carson Bloomquist bring a new psychological story, “Self-Help,” in time for the Halloween season.
The movie has a sneak peek on Oct. 30, followed by a nationwide release on Oct. 31, including at Pinnacle Hills Cinema in Rogers. A digital release is set for early 2026.
“Self-Help” follows a college student (played by Landry Bender) who infiltrates a dangerous self-actualization community after her mother (played by Amy Hargreaves) becomes entangled with its charismatic “anti-cult” leader. The film is directed by Emmy Award winner Erik Bloomquist and co-written with his brother Carson, whose previous credits include “Founders Day” and “She Came from the Woods.”
“I think people have always had this deep need for community, and it’s interesting to see how that evolves or the way it manifests with the internet and even internet cults,” said Erik Bloomquist. “The way we engage with each other shifts in a way that the things that are supposed to bring people together can become increasingly impersonal and anti-social.”
Jake Weber (“Dawn of the Dead” and TV’s “Medium) plays the charismatic leader, and it also features Madison Lintz (TV’s “Bosch” and “The Walking Dead”) as a friend to Bender’s character.
Bloomquist said the story’s setup was a breeding ground for conflict.
“There’s something about the fractured family relationship,” Bloomquist said. “It’s a classic thing against that backdrop, too. Being able to explore the kids saving the parents, as opposed to the parents saving their kids.”
Hargreaves, who began her career in a couple of after-school specials and played Claire Danes’ mother in “Homeland,” said that the script was “fascinating” for her. She became “obsessed” with the Netflix documentaries about cults, and her mother was a victim of a recent fraud.
“It wasn’t like a romantic catfishing thing, not exactly like that, but something similar, where she really got taken down the garden path,” Hargreaves said. “It was so upsetting to see that happen to someone so close to me. I know women of a certain age can be lonely. We can have lonely times in our lives, and we’re looking for connection and community. My character is a flawed person. She’s not the best mother, but in the end, she really is just looking to connect and repair the relationship with her daughter.”
Bloomquist jumped in, “It may be a little spoiler territory, there’s a moment where we take away the music and all the other sound away, and it’s just them talking to each other for the first time, and that really exposes the root underneath all of it, and they play it so, so beautifully. That’s really the most devastating scene in the movie to me.”
Bender said she loved how the elements came together and how it had grounded moments.
“It was super fun to do a movie with a Halloween backdrop,” said Bender. “I loved playing a character who was sort of the moral compass of the film. She countered everyone else’s perspective, and it was really thrilling to be the eyes of the people watching the film.”
Bender added that playing such an intense role was taxing, but she found solace when she needed to, including taking a long rest back at the hotel.
“I think it’s interesting when the heroes and villains are using the same languages, so it becomes more obfuscated,” Bloomquist said. “Who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy? When this guy is very clearly manipulating people using this language, or the same terms as somebody who might be able to help.”
The previous projects for Bloomquist were ensemble movies, and “Self-Help” zooms in on one relationship while keeping the scope of an ensemble piece in other ways.
While the movie does have a Halloween component, they said it’s much more than that.
“It’s a fun and fabulous movie and a great Halloween flick, but it’s psychological as well,” said Hargreaves. “It’s a movie to see with others, and you’ll be talking about it long afterwards.”
“This will be the perfect movie to see with friends or with a date… get some popcorn…,” Bender said. “The characters are going to remind you of someone you know, or self-reflect, or find someone relatable in it.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: ‘Self-Help’ explores fear, family and the lure of belonging this Halloween
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