Amazon Prime’s Master Has Great Messaging But Fails As A Horror Movie

gamerant.com:

Horror has always been a very political genre and in the last decade especially, horror films with a deeper sociopolitical meaning have taken the forefront when it comes to popularity and critical success. Whether it's The Purge series providing commentary on extreme politics and the political divide, or Jordan Peele's Get Out making bold statements on racism, these films are known for taking political topics and turning them into horror movies.

Part of the beauty of these films is that while the political commentary is there for those who want something thought-provoking, they can also just be watched as any other horror movie. The messages are told with subtext and visual metaphors, not with overly obvious dialogue or plot points. This isn't done to diminish what the message is trying to say but to enhance it by making the film more engaging and accessible. It also just adds to the quality, as it can help these messages stop appearing cheesy.

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As political issues become the forefront of conversations and more people are using film as a medium for these messages, there are bound to be a few that don't work. Because woke horror is tricky to pull off well, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with the genre. Being too on the nose is a very common way to make a woke horror attempt seem cheesy and badly written. Another thing that can go wrong is a lack of real horror elements, and too much overt social commentary. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens with Amazon Prime's well-made but poorly advertised Master.

The plot of Master is very intriguing. It focuses on the experiences of three Black women in a college that is historically very white.