Overview

• Dakota Fanning leads a near single-performer horror piece as Polly, drawing widespread praise for an intense, endurance-style turn.
• Critics at Fantastic Fest report uneven writing and unclear thematic execution, with frequent complaints about jump scares and punishing sound design.
• The premise centers on a mysterious black box that demands three personal items, pushing Polly into a psychological or possibly supernatural ordeal.
• Reviewers connect the film’s style to Bertino’s The Strangers and The Dark and the Wicked, noting familiar dread-building techniques and abrasive audio.
• The movie premieres on Paramount+ on October 10, and at least one outlet says it was shifted from a planned theatrical release earlier this year.