The Boys Actor Antony Starr Channeled Homelander For This Chilling Horror Movie

Homelander (Antony Starr) is still alive and kickin' in "The Boys," and there's a good reason for that. No other Supe brings dangerous unpredictability to the table like Starr's Homelander, who can oscillate between extremes in the blink of an eye. Even when we're privy to the reason why he is the way he is, this situational empathy doesn't erase his idiosyncratic brand of evil. After all, Homelander's diabolical presence enlivens a show that thrives on irreverent shock value, where very few characters can go head to head against such an insecure, petulant force of ... nurture. Starr embodies this milk-drinking, laser-eyed Supe to perfection, introducing a ton of complexity to someone who could've been easily written off as a one-note monster.

But Homelander is not Starr's first rodeo as an antagonistic figure, as he played an ex-con masquerading as a small town sheriff in the severely underrated series, "Banshee." Although this troubled character, Lucas Hood, isn't as transparently evil as Homelander, it is difficult to pinpoint Hood's moral compass throughout the first few seasons of the show. As someone with a criminal past, Hood's sense of justice is flawed, which introduces delicious moral quandaries that perfectly complement the gritty, engrossing nature of the story. As for Starr's other roles over the years, everything from "Outrageous Fortune" to "Gutterbee" serves to highlight his incredible range and flexibility as a performer. 

If you're looking for a more recent performance by the actor that leans into his ability to convey complex morality, then Samuel Bodin's "Cobweb" is your best bet. This 2023 horror is super under-the-radar, partly because it got a limited theatrical release and received middling reviews from critics. While "Cobweb" does reheat genre expectations and takes some unexpectedly bland turns, Starr's performance is easily a highlight in this unevenly frightening horror entry. Without further ado, let's talk about "Cobweb."

Please be warned about spoilers ahead.

Stories that flesh out a child's vulnerabilities, which quickly escalate and veer straight into horror territory, tend to be the most frightening. Think "The Babadook," where a child's increasingly erratic behavior is directly connected to a vicious monster, who might or might not represent the darker, more unsavory aspects of grief and motherhood. This latent anxiety encircling childhood is brilliantly laid out by 2022's "Skinamarink," which creates an unsettling atmosphere to drive its horrifying events home.

"Cobweb" echoes this sentiment by rooting us in a child's perspective: Peter (Woody Norman) is a troubled boy dealing with his overbearing parents, Carol (Lizzy Caplan) and Mark (Starr), who treat him in a rather disturbing way. Peter's upbringing is severely controlled, and he has zero exposure to the world of leisure or entertainment, having little in common with kids his age. Whenever he is in trouble, Carol and Mark promptly lock him in the basement without any attempt to soothe or reach out, instilling a constant sense of fear in Peter's perspective of the world. A chunk of this uncomfortable, sinister parental control is channeled through Starr's Mark, whose seemingly quiet, warm demeanor seems to artfully hide something disturbing. When contrasted against Norman's performance as the naive, trusting Peter, the film truly comes to life, promising to lead to a horrific reveal that is well worth your time.

Unfortunately, it doesn't. "Cobweb" squanders its genuinely spine-chilling premise for a cheap monster reveal, which doesn't have anything scary or meaningful to say in the first place. Even after the film reveals its supposed Big Bad, you'll find yourself returning to Mark's subdued evil, which underlines the existence of people who excel at mimicking normalcy until the facade starts crumbling. But "Cobweb" doesn't want to focus on bad parenting or men who look like good fathers but aren't. Instead, we're left with a thematically decent horror movie that undoes everything it has worked hard for, ending with an empty threat of malice.