Movie Review: 'Human Resources' is Terrific Horror Movie Fun

Human Resources (2022)

Directed by Braden Swope

Written by Braden Swope, Evan Swope

Starring Hugh McCrae Jr, Anthony Candell, Sara Jose, Tim Masuradze

Release Date January 10th, 2023

Published January 2nd, 2023

Human Resources opens on a terrific piece of visual filmmaking. With a very low budget, director Braden Swope knows that he needs to set the tone for his movie without the bells and whistles of a big production. So, he relies on the most basic components of good filmmaking: sound design and camera work. We open inside Brooke's Hardware Store. An eerie breeze blows through the store creating an innate sense of dread. A worried yet determined employee walks into a room that is marked with signs telling him not to enter.

Keith, the employee, goes ahead and enters. Inside, he begins to call out for someone or something. He's here to confront whatever entity has created this sense of dread at his place of work. Through a terrific sequence of camera movements, strong and fast editing choices, and tremendous sound design, we watch Keith search for, and, unfortunately, find something that ends up getting him killed. Barely a word of dialogue is spoken and yet, in less than four minutes, the premise of Human Resources is established. This business harbors a dark secret that will be uncovered as the movie plays out.

Cut to daytime, a new employee is needed at Brooke's Hardware. The General Manager, Brian (Tim Masurdze, tells his store manager, Gene (Anthony Candell), to hire Sam Coleman (Hugh McCrae Jr). Though Sam has little work experience, and a less than impressive resume, Gene agrees, and Sam is brought on board. Once at his new place of work, Sam is trained by Sarah (Sarah Jose), a cynical, long-time employee of Brooke's Hardware who advises Sam not to let working this dead end job become his whole life.

Together, Sam and Sarah stumble over the mystery of Keith, our opening kill victim. Keith had begun to document the creepy, odd and frightening goings on at Brooke's Hardware. Employees prior to Keith had been going missing. The store was always strangely empty, except on Black Friday when the story would be overrun with customers. Brian and Gene are very serious about Black Friday and how it keeps the entire store afloat for the whole year. If that sounds suspicious, it's intended to be. In the clever script by director Braden Swope and his brother, Ethan Swope, the suspicious elements are all cleverly employed.

Bubbling under the surface of Human Resources is how our modern economy calls on low wage employees to dedicate themselves to work. Gene talks about culture and teamwork and builds up working a Brooke's Hardware as a calling as much as it is a job. Meanwhile, employees are paid a pittance for their time while being expected to work hard and over-deliver on their effort. Work hard for nothing in return because work itself is somehow a reward. Ugh! Human Resources takes this idea and rightly turns it into a premise for a horror movie.

I really adored the direction of Human Resources. The smart choices, the limited exposition, it's a welcome breath of fresh air. Little dialogue is wasted in telling us the plot. Instead, the basics of filmmaking deliver important details visually. The characters interact as human beings who know and work together would, not as movie characters who must also explain to the audience what the plot is and what we should be aware of. The direction tells us far more than the script and that's the mark of good filmmaking and smart writing.

The casting of Hugh McCrae Jr as Sam Coleman was a terrific choice. McCrae is so wining and sympathetic. He seems like the sweetest guy, and you can't help but root for him. The script gives Sam a simple, well executed arc, a meek and fearful young man slowly uncovers his inner strength and confidence to beat back the evil of the world and find himself. McCrae is wonderful and making Sam relatably anxious instead of simpering and off-putting. He's an incredibly likable actor and that is key to making this arc more than just a simple arc of a character. He brings needed dimensions of humanity to Sam.

Director Braden Swope is only 19 years old and yet he manages to direct Human Resources like an experience pro. It's clear he's studied filmmaking closely. He and his team make very smart decisions about sound, editing, cinematography, and, as I mentioned before, casting. It all adds up to one terrific debut movie. Human Resources is a reminder for young filmmakers to learn the basics of filmmaking, realize that you can do as much with sound and atmosphere as you can with special effects and dialogue. It doesn't take a 200 million dollar budget and all the bells and whistles to make a terrific movie, it takes invention, collaboration and cleverness. Human Resources shows that Braden Swope and his team have all of those qualities in excess.

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