Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cleverly dark but violent, gruesome horror movie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Fresh
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 15 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is a unique blend of horror and comedy, with standout performances that some viewers found impressive. However, it contains substantial gore and themes of cannibalism, making it unsuitable for sensitive viewers, especially younger audiences.
- unique blend
- impressive performances
- substantial gore
- unsuitable for kids
- adult themes
- not overly scary
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In FRESH, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a single woman who's tired of bad dates and creeps on the dating apps. It seems that her luck changes for the better after meeting the charmingly vulnerable Steve (Sebastian Stan) at the grocery store. After a date in which they really seem to hit it off, Noa confides in her best friend Mollie that she thinks that she has finally met a great guy, and even tells her that she and Steve are going to go on a weekend getaway. When Steve picks Noa up for the trip, he tells her that they have to stop off at his house first. While hanging out and drinking a cocktail he has made for her, she finds herself getting sleepy and passes out. She then wakes up chained in a windowless room. She soon discovers who Steve really is: a sociopathic cannibal who makes his living selling the meat of living female human flesh on the black market to wealthy men willing to pay top dollar for this "delicacy." Shocked and traumatized, Noa struggles to make sense of her predicament and discovers that other women are also being held prisoner in Steve's house. As Mollie grows increasingly concerned over Noa's whereabouts, Noa must find a way to fight back without incurring Steve's violent and cannibalistic tendencies.
Is It Any Good?
This is a disturbing, dark, and gruesome horror story that keeps the viewer guessing as it plays with the conventions of horror movies and romcoms. Fresh strikes a fine balance between blood and gore, story and message, and unsettling scenes offset by macabre humor. While so many horror movies (and romcoms) lazily plod along down well-trodden paths of clichés and predictability, Fresh reveals itself to be as aware of the tropes as you are (if not more so) and messes with these expectations without being smug about it.
This story of a romcom that goes horrifically and cannibalistically wrong takes an obvious strong feminist point of view as the scares, blood, and gore of the story offer a serious commentary on toxic masculinity and violence against women. The story, acting, and direction keep this message from overwhelming the story through preachiness, and the dark humor helps make the message a little easier to, well, consume. Overall, it's a unique combination of two genres not exactly known for their originality.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the deeper messages behind Fresh. How does the movie use the story to comment on toxic masculinity and violence against women?
How does the movie play with the clichés and expectations of both horror movies and romcoms?
Was the graphic violence excessive, or did it seem necessary both for the story and for the movie's overall message? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 4, 2022
- Cast : Daisy Edgar-Jones , Sebastian Stan , Jojo T. Gibbs
- Director : Mimi Cave
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Queer Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Hulu
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 114 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Strong and disturbing violent content, some bloody images, language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity.
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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