There’s little in the world of Hollywood and Holly-would-be more fascinating than a director breaking out of their wheelhouse to make something completely unexpected. Think Mike Nichols’ shift from directing critical darlings like The Graduate and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf to “slum it” with the campy horror outing Wolf; or Mad Max franchise director George Miller shifting gears to direct the talking pig sequel Babe: Pig in the City; or filmmaker royalty Francis Ford Coppola coming down from Godfather and Apocalypse Now acclaim to direct the family-friendly Robin Williams vehicle Jack.

Occasionally, films resulting from these mash-ups can offer a refreshing taking on a tired genre but, more often than not, the confused and confusing pairings leaves audiences a bit off balance. Which brings us to Anything for Jackson, a maybe-comedy maybe-not horror movie about geriatric Satanists who will do (you guessed it) anything to resurrect their deceased grandchild. All sounds well and good; a fine premise for a campy midnighter. And then you take a peek at director Justin G. Dyck’s credit list. And your eyes cross.

The man is, if nothing else, incredibly prolific, with 25 directorial credits to his name. The catch? Each and every one is a Hallmark Channel romance. Most involve Christmas. To name but a few, Dyck’s previous efforts include Christmas Wedding Planner, Christmas with a View, 48 Christmas Wishes, A Puppy for Christmas, A Very Country Christmas, Christmas with a Prince, Christmas Catch, Operation Christmas List, Christmas in Paris, and A Christmas Village. And then there’s Anything for Jackson, a campy and occasionally brutal slice of Canadian horror that’s defined by a whiplash tone that can’t decide if it wants you to take the story deadly serious, or not at all.

Audrey and Henry are Satanists. They’re also in their 70s. In order to bring their beloved Jackson back from the grave, they’ve truly gone to hell and back, acquiring a century’s-old book of the dead, enrolling in the local hellraiser’s club, and kidnapping an unsuspecting pregnant woman. With the help of their Necronomicon, they plan to summon the spirit of their deceased Jackson into the physical body of the unborn fetus. The premise alone is naturally silly and although Dyck does find the amusement here and there, he never really commits to the zaniness of the proposal; Anything for Jackson being neither quite funny enough nor quite horrifying enough, existing instead in that cursed middle ground.

Despite the presumption that Hallmark-adjacent actors are bottom of the barrel, Dyck does a fine job with his talent in front of the camera. Sheila McCarthy and Julian Richings are surprisingly effective as the murderous pensioners, the film exploring their inner lives with a tenderness you wouldn’t expect a movie about Satan-worshipping Septennials to afford. When Henry laments, “You can’t make a moral argument with me, I made a deal with the devil,” it’s with a sorrow that’s at odds with the lunacy circling all around him. McCarthy is equally good as the forlorn matriarch, balancing a motherly softness against her dedicated effort to open a portal between the realms of the living and the dead.
Jostling between the serious and silly tone results in some whiplash, but when Anything for Jackson is going full steam ahead, it all works quite well. Dyck finds no shortage of surprising moments, which left me at various turns with my eyes bugged out with shock. In addition, his reliance on practical effects (for instance, employing a contortionist as a ghoul) keeps the affair free of any low-budget CGI. Even if it never looks great, I appreciate the effort to create effects in-camera. A disturbing scene involving flossing (disclaimer: I always find myself especially disturbed by any horror bit that has to do with teeth) will likely be among the most memorable, though it may have some competition, particularly from anything involving the Death Eater of a character named Ian (Josh Cruddas), who seems beamed in from an entirely different (and entirely serious) movie.

As Anything for Jackson accelerates, one doesn’t forget about the problems that infect the film so much they become overwhelmed by sheer force. For instance, the fact that the pregnant and captive Becker (Konstantina Mantelos) barely has a personality or backstory becomes increasingly problematic, with Dyck’s script using her more as a benign damsel in distress than as a legitimate character central to the story. This is perhaps part of the point though, Dyck’s tale touching on ideas of privilege and assumed superiority in suggestive ways, even if they don’t come fully to term.

Henry and Aubrey – old, white, and wealthy – assign their grief top priority. The cure to their suffering takes precedence over the life of a single young woman and her unborn child. Even if this means an actual deal with the devil. Striking analogies could be made to how the old, wealthy and powerful govern society writ large. They truly will do anything to still the wound of loss; to stay their slipping power, virility and rank amongst their social hierarchy; even if that means trading their souls in the process.

CONCLUSION: Though ‘Anything for Jackson’ cannot seem to decide how seriously you ought to take it, the horror/kind-of-comedy from Justin G. Dyck manages nonetheless to remain an entertaining outing defined by solid practical effects and a poignant examination of the hierarchy of power between old and young.