A24’s successfulRotten Tomatoesstreak ended withThe Front Room, which, at the same time, continues a disastrous 26-year streak for its lead actress. Thanks to its variety of movies, A24 has become one of the leading studios in the horror genre, bringing movies likeHereditary,TheWitch,TalktoMe, and more. Thanks to these and more hits, A24 is now synonymous with high quality in horror movies, but its greatRotten Tomatoesstreak has now ended with its most recent horror movie,The Front Room.
Directed by Max and Sam Eggers and based on the 2016 short story of the same name by Susan Hill,The Front Roomfollows Belinda (Brandy), a pregnant anthropology professor grieving from the loss of her firstborn son. When her husband’s father dies, she and Norman (Andrew Burnap) are forced to take his mother, Solange (Kathryn Hunter), in. Solange soon begins to act aggressively against Belinda, and dark and disturbing secrets about her are eventually revealed. Despite its intriguing premise,The Front Roomfailed to impress criticsand continues a disastrousRotten Tomatoesstreak for Brandy.
Brandy is known for both her music and acting careers, but the latter hasn’t seen much success in recent years. Brandy’s acting career began on TV in the early 1990s on the TV showsTheaandMoesha, and she made her big screen debut in 1997 inCinderella. In 1998, she branched out to horror when she played Karla Wilson inI Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and though that earned her a place in the hearts of slasher fans, it also marked the beginning of her disastrousRotten Tomatoesstreak.
Every single one of Brandy’s movies since I Still Know What You Did Last Summer has been rotten.
Cinderellahas an 86% critics score onRotten Tomatoes, butI Still Know What You Did Last Summerwent a lot lower with a horrifying 7% score. Unfortunately, every single one of Brandy’s movies since then – both live-action and animated – has been rotten, though some, likeTemptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, reached a “fresh” audience score. Sadly,The Front Roomcontinues this disastrous streak with its 52% critics scoreand an even lower audience one with 37%, so it’s “rotten” in both categories.
1997
86%
1998
7%
2001
55%
2013
21%
2016
22%
2023
38%
2024
52%
The Front Room’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Still An Improvement For Brandy Norwood In Horror
The Front Room Is Brandy’s Return To Horror
The Front Roomfailed with critics and viewers, but it’s one of Brandy’s highest-rated movies onRotten TomatoessinceI Still Know What You Did Last Summer– and it’s a huge improvement in her horror career. As mentioned above,I Still Know What You Did Last Summerhas a shocking 7% critics score, as critics called it “boring” and “predictable”, and pointed out its lack of scares, melodramatic dialogue, underdeveloped characters, and unnecessary cliffhanger ending as some of its weaknesses. Brandy’s horror debut wasn’t a hit, but at least her return performed a bit better.
The Front Room Ending Explained
The tense drama of The Front Room festers into a harsh and rewardingly vindictive ending that reinforces the film’s underlying themes.
The Front Roomhas a 52% critics score onRotten Tomatoesafter critics said it failed to address its big themes (abuse and racism), the story went nowhere, and they are divided when it comes to Hunter’s performance, which definitely took the spotlight, but to some critics, it was for the wrong reasons. Brandy’s badRotten Tomatoesstreak in horror could be fixed if she returns in thenewI Know What You Did Last Summermovie, and, of course, if the movie learns from the saga’s past mistakes.
The Front Room
The Front Room is a psychological horror film directed by the Eggers Brothers. Set in a single location, it revolves around a young, pregnant woman caring for her ailing grandmother, whose secrets and dementia create a tense and eerie atmosphere. The film stars Brandy Norwood and Kathryn Hunter, and explores themes of family, memory, and the supernatural.
