Dark Souvenirs(2022)

In the whimsically twisted universe of Jordan Peele, the ordinary morphs seamlessly into the bizarre. “Dark Souvenirs” continues Peele’s penchant for contorting the mundane into the magnificent, but with a sardonic twist. Steve Buscemi stars as Ed, a drab, down-on-his-luck souvenir shop owner whose life takes an eerie turn when he realizes his trinkets aren’t just selling like hotcakes—they’re altering realities.

The setting in “Dark Souvenirs” is a masterclass in atmospheric tension. Peele uses the eerie backdrop of an off-season tourist town, its desolate streets and fog-shrouded alleyways setting the tone for a journey peppered with both horror and dark wit. The cinematography—an intimate affair with shadows and unsettling angles—elevates the story’s sense of foreboding. A memorable scene occurs when Ed, played with neurotic perfection by Buscemi, first witnesses a statuette blink in the dim light of dusk. The camera lingers lovingly on his face as a symphony of horror and realization plays across his features, underscored by a chilling score.

Supporting performances add layers of intrigue, particularly Tilda Swinton as the secretive creator of the cursed curios and Lakeith Stanfield as a cynical tourist who begins piecing together the town’s bizarre occurrences. Their characters dive into realms of psychological horror and philosophical musings on consumer culture—do we own our possessions, or do they, in some strange way, own us?

While “Dark Souvenirs” excels in atmosphere and theme, its pace stutters occasionally, especially in the mid-section where the plot seems to tread water. Despite this, Peele’s latest venture is a cocktail of creepiness seasoned with comic relief that only he can serve so effectively. The climax, a fiendishly clever twist, ensures you will never look at a souvenir the same way again. Jordan Peele demonstrates with “Dark Souvenirs” that our everyday purchases might just be more than trivial transactions—they could be bargains with the bizarre.