REVIEW: ‘The Privilege’ Exploring Horror and Family

Directed by Felix Fuchssteiner and Katharina Schöde, The Privilege is written by Fuchssteiner, Schöde, Sebastian Niemann, and Eckhard Vollmar. A supernatural and biological horror story that taps into traumatic pasts, The Privilege centers on one family and a secret that leaves tragedy in its wake.

Scarred by his sister Anna’s tragic death and the ghoulish specter he remembers, Finn is now 18-years old and has become increasingly haunted by nightmares and demonic visions. What his family dismisses as psychotic breakdowns due to childhood trauma feels ever more real to him. Alone in trying to figure out the truth behind his haunting, things worsen as horrific events around him begin to escalate. He was pushed to embrace his fears and understand that he can no longer pretend that it’s all just in his head, even if others tell him he should. Together with his best friend Lena (Lea van Acken), he tries to uncover the terrible secret that lies in his past and save his sister Sophie from Anna’s fate.

While The Privilege definitely taps into trauma and how it affects our life after the experience, the last two acts of the film thrive on jump scares and disturbing imagery that genuinely balances out. With interesting visuals and a blue haze cooling down each frame, The Privilege thrives on creating a tense atmosphere and then shocking it with elements of sound that make you jump. That said, the horror, while fun and well-executed, is only part of why you should press play on this film.

The strongest part of The Privilege is its mystery and how it unravels over its runtime. Is it supernatural? Biological? Religious? Corporate greed? You find out as Finn does. Seeing the world from his perspective keeps things interesting and confusing in a way that works for the genre. However, The Privilege oscillates between different horror subgenres and does so to create a story that keeps you on your toes. This succeeds because of a steady pace that allows the story to develop steadily. Science is folded into the supernatural, trauma is tucked into a mystery, and all of it builds on each other to create a story that uniquely scares.

The Privilege has a lot going on, but it doesn’t lose itself. The friends at the center of the film, Finn, Samira, and Lena, help you remain invested. Their chemistry, both sexual and platonic, helps up the tension of the film. You become invested in them, and that makes the hits hit harder as the events that were once shadowing one family begin to affect their private school. The only issue with The Privilege is how wide it swings. Too much happening all at once can be overwhelming, but thankfully the pacing helps ground it all.

If you’re looking for a fun horror watch that throws different subgenres into a blender and works, The Privilege is it. Family, corporate intrigue, trauma, and the supernatural all collide for a good time.

The Privilege is streaming exclusively on Netflix.