Novocaine is stunningly sick — and repeats one of Hollywood’s worst mistakes

A year before the release of John Hughes’ iconic film Home Alone, French director René Manzor brought his own twist on the tale of a young boy defending his home from home invaders in Deadly Games: Code Santa Claus. The similarities between the two films were so striking that Manzor actually threatened Hughes with a lawsuit for stealing his idea. However, when comparing the reception of the two films, it becomes clear that there was a stark difference in their success.

While Home Alone went on to become the highest-grossing comedy of the ’90s, Deadly Games only spent a week in Parisian theaters before heading to home video. The reason for this stark contrast in reception can be attributed to the fact that Deadly Games did not shy away from the darker aspects of its premise. Unlike Home Alone, where the booby traps are played for laughs, Deadly Games featured a maze of horrors that included stabbings, shootings, and toy grenades filled with actual gunpowder.

Fast forward to the present day, and we have Novocaine, a film that treads a similar path as Deadly Games in terms of violence and gore. Starring Jack Quaid as Nathan Caine, Novocaine tells the story of a man with congenital insensitivity to pain who must overcome his fears to save his love interest from Santa-disguised robbers during Christmas.

Novocaine walks a fine line between absurdity and commitment, with Quaid’s performance anchoring the film in a sense of reality despite its outlandish premise. The film’s use of body horror as a storytelling device is both inventive and grotesque, adding depth to Caine’s character development as he navigates the challenges of his condition.

However, Novocaine does fall into the trap of using illness as a metaphor for character motivations, a narrative trope that has been criticized for oversimplifying complex human experiences. The film’s portrayal of CIPA as a symbolic representation of Caine’s inner struggles may perpetuate harmful stereotypes about illness and personal strength.

Despite these shortcomings, Novocaine manages to stand out from the crowd with its rare portrayal of CIPA and its unapologetically gory visuals. The film’s willingness to push boundaries and embrace its own absurdity sets it apart from other films that may have tackled similar themes.

In conclusion, while Novocaine may not be for the faint of heart, it offers a unique and thrilling cinematic experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression on those brave enough to watch. Whether it will achieve the same level of success as Home Alone remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure – Novocaine is a film that demands to be seen to be believed.