Available on Blu-ray this week is Together, the feature film debut of writer/director Michael Shanks, starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco. 2025 was an exceptional year for horror, and while Together may not top the list, it confidently stands out as the year’s best entry in the body-horror subgenre. Unsettling from its eerie opening sequence, the film builds tension through atmosphere and emotion rather than shock value alone.
Millie (Brie) and her longtime boyfriend Tim (Franco), an aspiring musician, leave city life behind when Millie accepts a teaching job in a small town. The move is meant to mark a fresh start, though cracks in their relationship quickly surface—especially after Tim awkwardly hesitates when Millie proposes to him in front of friends. That’s never a great omen before relocating to an unfamiliar place together.
Soon after settling in, the couple takes a hike through the nearby woods and accidentally falls into an underground cave. Trapped overnight by a rainstorm, Tim drinks from a pool of water inside the cave—an act that, as the film’s ominous prologue suggests, sets off a chain of disturbing events.
When they return home, Tim begins to experience a bizarre physical connection to Millie. Whenever she drives away, his body involuntarily mirrors her movements, as though tethered to her by an invisible force. His episodes grow increasingly uncontrollable—culminating in a shockingly intimate encounter at Millie’s school. Once Millie herself drinks from the same contaminated water, the couple becomes bound together in horrifying, literal ways.
It’s clear that Together draws inspiration from the works of David Cronenberg, and that influence is worn proudly. Yet Shanks makes the story his own, grounding the grotesque transformation in the emotional decay of a relationship. Brie and Franco deliver superb performances—intense, vulnerable, and deeply believable. Known primarily for their comedic work, both actors prove they can carry darker, more psychologically charged material with ease.
While not as graphically explicit as some might expect from its genre, Together still delivers a handful of unforgettable, skin-crawling moments that linger long after the credits roll. For fans of intelligent, emotionally charged body-horror, this one is well worth seeking out.
Bonus Features:
- Interview with writer/director Michael Shanks
- Interview with Dave Franco and Alison Brie
- Alison Brie and Dave Franco’s Codependency Quiz
- Trailers
By: Marc Ferman
